BLACKFOOT, Idaho — A former eastern Idaho sheriff has been ordered to serve 10 days in jail and three years probation because of a 2021 confrontation with members of a church youth group.
Seventh District Judge Stephen Dunn on Tuesday sentenced Craig T. Rowland, who pleaded guilty in August to one count of aggravated assault. As a condition of his probation, which will be supervised, Rowland must meet six times with a therapist. The judge also ordered him to pay a $1,000 fine and issued a no-contact order under which Rowland is not to have any contact with the victims for five years.
According to investigators, Rowland on Nov. 9, 2021, pulled a gun on two girls and their youth group leader after they knocked on his door while leaving Thanksgiving thank-you notes around the neighborhood where he lived in Blackfoot. Rowland, who was Bingham County Sheriff at the time, was also accused of dragging the youth group leader out of her car by her hair, holding a gun to her head, and threatening to shoot her.
When police interviewed Rowland, he stated he was on edge because of past experiences with, in his words, "drunk Indians" from the nearby reservation.
In late July, after many people in the community and other Bingham County elected officials expressed outrage, Rowland announced he would resign as sheriff. He officially stepped down on Aug. 1, three weeks before he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.
Rowland was also charged with aggravated battery and use of a deadly weapon. Those charges were dismissed as part of the Aug. 22 plea agreement.
Rowland is now living in Jefferson County. Under the plea agreement, his sentence will be supervised by that county.
Several victims and their parents made statements at Tuesday's sentencing. Some testified that they have had nightmares, fear of law enforcement officers, and experience trauma when hearing reports about the case. The judge did not allow audio or video recording in the courtroom. A reporter with Idaho Falls television station KIFI attended the hearing and shared information with KTVB.
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