Griggs County coroner named acting sheriff after sheriff, deputy resigns

(Cooperstown, ND) – A rural North Dakota county is without its best cops after the sheriff and deputy resigned.

The Griggs County Commission, in a special meeting Thursday, was informed that both Sheriff Michael Beaver and Deputy Sheriff Tyler Rispa have resigned.

“As you understand earlier, we had the sheriff resign,” Commission Chairman John Wakefield told commissioners. “And the deputy was left without a home, basically, so he resigned.”

He said Griggs County State’s Attorney Jayme Tenneson has been in contact with surrounding counties and the North Dakota Highway Patrol.

“After further consultation, we need to put in place an acting sheriff,” Wakefield said. Law enforcement in the area, he said, can’t step up and take over as sheriff in the county.

The North Dakota Century Code states that the county coroner would appear if the sheriff was unable to perform his duties.

“We have been in contact with the medical examiner, and he has agreed to be the designated sheriff in the interim,” Wakefield said. The Griggs County Coroner is Rick Cushman.

Tenneson told commissioners there were concerns the crime would begin Thursday at 6 p.m.

“I don’t see that happening,” he said. “But I think the important thing, and the most appropriate thing, to do is to appoint a sheriff and start working in the right direction.”

When contacted by WDAY Radio News, Attorney General Drew Wrigley, the top police officer in North Dakota, had no statement to release on the situation.

WDAY Radio News reached out to Wakefield for more information on the future of law enforcement in Griggs County.