St. George • Washington County Sheriff Nate Brooksby resigned and announced his retirement on Friday, ending an over 30-year career in law enforcement, according to the Washington County Attorney’s Office.

Brooksby’s resignation comes after the county received complaints “from individuals who were concerned with operations at the sheriff’s office,” Deputy County Attorney Courtney Sinagra told The Tribune.

“The commissioners discussed those with the sheriff, who disagreed with what was being said, but he did decide to go ahead and resign and move on to retirement after 30 years in law enforcement,” she added. “After that decision … the complainant asked the matter not be pursued further, and we’re respecting their request.”

Sinagra said she could not share details of the complaints with The Tribune “out of respect for the individuals” who brought forward the concerns.

The county expressed gratitude for Brooksby’s years of service in a press release on Monday.

“Sheriff Brooksby has been a tremendous asset to our community, and we appreciate his many years of service,” Washington County Attorney Jerry Jaeger said in a statement. “The Washington County Attorney’s Office is now ensuring that the legal procedure for appointing a new sheriff is appropriately executed.”

According to Utah law, the political party of the prior office holder will nominate a new individual for the job. In this case, the Washington County Republican Party will submit the name of the individual it chooses to fill the sheriff position. After that, the county commission must officially appoint that individual.

A regularly scheduled election for the county sheriff is already underway, so the individual will hold office only until a successor is elected this November.

Undersheriff Barry Golding will be the acting sheriff while the county commission and county Republican Party work to fill the vacancy.

Golding is a veteran and previously worked for the St. George Police Department for 21 years, according to the release. After that, he helped found the Investigations Division of the Washington County Attorney’s Office and accepted the job as undersheriff in 2021.

“I appreciate Sheriff Brooksby’s leadership and wish him all the best with his hard-earned retirement. He will be greatly missed,” Golding said in the release. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve during this transitory time, and my priority is to continue to provide the highest level of service to our community.”