The hat and jumpsuit are symbols of the law in this rural town.

Inmates at the Beaver County jail wear the orange. The former sheriff, Kenneth Yardley, is known for wearing the black hat.

And although Yardley has been investigated for using inmate labor for projects at his home, he is back to work for the sheriff's office - overseeing inmate labor.

Yardley's successor, Sheriff Cameron Noel, has no qualms about it.

"He's still a certified peace officer, and it's difficult to find certified peace officers," Noel said.

As part of his new job, Yardley accompanies inmates assigned to work on community projects, such as cleaning up litter along Interstate 15, building baseball diamonds and maintaining public parks.

Yardley works 20 to 30 hours a week, Noel said. He earns $13 per hour, one-half what he was making as sheriff, according to county officials.

There's no indication of what has happened to the FBI investigation into Yardley. Until there are criminal charges against Yardley, Noel said he will keep the former sheriff on the payroll.

"What he's done in his past, that's up to him," Noel said. "I don't know what's going to happen to him. If something does, I'll take care of it."

Yardley served 20 years as Beaver's sheriff until his last term expired Jan. 1. He had already announced he would not seek re-election when, in February 2006, The Tribune reported descriptions from former jail inmates of how they remodeled Yardley's house in Beaver during their incarceration six years earlier.

The work was not authorized by a judge, and the men said they were not guarded while working at the house.

FBI agents went to Beaver County last year to inquire about the work as well as whether Yardley had inappropriate relations with a woman inmate, according to the county attorney and witnesses the agents interviewed.

The FBI has declined to comment on its investigation. Yardley has not returned several Tribune phone calls.

The state agency that regulates peace officers in Utah has said it is waiting for the outcome of the federal investigation until it reviews Yardley's police certification.

Noel, who worked for Yardley before being elected as sheriff in November on the Republican ticket, said he was in training at the FBI academy in 2000 when Yardley reportedly had inmates at his house.

And Noel said that he does not know whether Yardley had inappropriate relations with any female inmates.

"He was here for 20 years," Noel said. "He sacrificed his life for this county. He may have made a couple mistakes. They may have been criminal mistakes. They may not have been."

Not everyone in Beaver County is pleased Yardley has returned to the sheriff's office.

"I'm upset," said Toni Rollins, county chairwoman of the Republican party. "I just didn't feel like it was right. We needed a new regime. We got it. I didn't think we needed to put the old one back to work."

Yardley was a Democrat, but Rollins said that's not the problem. She said she is upset by stories of inmates working at Yardley's home and a possible inappropriate relationship with the female inmate.

Along with a lack of criminal charges, Noel said there are logistical reasons for employing Yardley. He said he has eight vacancies on his jail staff that he has been unable to fill.

ncarlisle@sltrib.com