New prosecutor appointed in Bingham County
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BLACKFOOT – Bingham County’s Chief Deputy prosecutor has officially been sworn in as the new prosecutor.
Bingham County Commissioners appointed Ryan Jolley to serve the rest of Paul Rogers’ term, which expires in Dec. 2024. Jolley took over on Sept. 22 when Rogers stepped down to take a new role with the Department of Energy.
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Jolley tells EastIdahoNews.com he’s enjoyed the last several weeks in this new role, specifically citing the plea agreement in the Kayden Ford case on Oct. 5 as a major accomplishment. It’s a murder case that dates back to 2020.
“I’m pretty happy to have gotten that done my second week on the job. That case has taken quite a while due to some competency issues, but all the cards fell together that we could get that one wrapped up,” Jolley says. “I’ve also been working with commissioners on some things that have come up.”
Jolley is one of two candidates who applied for the job and was interviewed by the Bingham County Republican Central Committee. His appointment comes in the midst of a lawsuit between the Bingham County GOP and the Idaho Republican Party. The Bingham County GOP held an election for a new chairman in July when Dan Cravens announced his resignation, which led to a domino effect of having to replace other people through the ranks.
Idaho GOP Chair Dorothy Moon apparently emailed the Bingham County GOP saying the timing of the election for a new chairman didn’t follow party rules because a vacancy didn’t exist at the time.
While the local party was in the process of submitting nominations for a new prosecutor, Moon allegedly said she was going to hold a new election to install new officers. The local party appealed Moon’s decision, and a judge granted a temporary restraining order against the Idaho GOP hours later.
Jolley says the lawsuit has nothing to do with his appointment as prosecutor and hasn’t affected him at all. He hasn’t received any backlash since taking office.
“Idaho code is pretty clear that the appointment comes from county commissioners. Because there were only two applicants, the role for the local party was a little different than it otherwise could have been,” he says. “When I’ve listened to argument being made on the lawsuit, it’s all centered around the Bingham County GOP chair, not anything to do with me.”
Jolley graduated from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University in 2017. He wanted to be involved in the criminal justice system from the time he was a kid, and he set out to become a prosecutor as a law student.
He spent five years in Bonneville County as a deputy prosecuting attorney before taking a job in Bingham County last year.
“I was born and raised in Firth, and I’ve spent my whole life in the Bingham County area,” says Jolley. “So when the (deputy prosecutor) position opened up here, I opened up discussions with Paul and made the move down here.”
As Jolley finishes Rogers’ term, one of his goals is to crack down on victim crimes (crimes that involve bad guys hurting other people). Child sex crimes, in particular, are his priority.
He also wants to give his deputy prosecutors more trial experience, and continue to help his team grow and develop.
Jolley is planning to seek re-election next year, and will be on the primary ballot in May.
“I plan on being here for quite a while. Bingham County is my home, so I’m happy to be back serving in this position,” he says.