A Powell County Sheriff's Office captain who has been under investigation for roughly a year has resigned from his position, and the Montana Attorney General's Office has moved to take over prosecution of his case, according to officials in Deer Lodge.
The resignation ends the captain's tenure with the Powell County Sheriff's Office but does not close the legal matter. The Attorney General's Office stepping in signals the case has progressed to the point where formal charges are being prepared, a transition that typically occurs when a local jurisdiction has a conflict of interest or when the scope of an investigation warrants state-level involvement.
Details of the underlying allegations have not been fully disclosed in public records reviewed for this report, though the investigation is described as centering on alleged conduct during his time with the department. The case has been active for approximately one year.
Powell County, home to Deer Lodge and the Montana State Prison, is a small jurisdiction where law enforcement personnel changes carry significant weight in the community. The Sheriff's Office has not publicly named a replacement for the captain's position. The Attorney General's Office has not announced a timeline for filing charges.