EVANSTON—State agents arrested Uinta County Coroner Greg Crandall on Wednesday and accused him of funneling more than $40,000 in public money into his private accounts while serving as both an elected official and funeral home operator.
Crandall appeared in an Evanston courtroom to face 11 charges — five felonies and six misdemeanors — tied to accusations of misconduct in his official duties. Crandall has been coroner since 2003 and is seeking reelection in two weeks. He denied the allegations during his first court appearance Wednesday.
Crandall, 66, faces up to 35 years in prison, $35,000 in fines or both if convicted of felony charges of aggregate theft, issuing a false certificate and three counts of making a false written statement to obtain property or credit, court documents show.
He also faces up to three years in jail, $13,500 in fines or both if convicted of misdemeanor charges of official misconduct; constructive possession of a controlled substance in pill or capsule form; issuing a false certificate; neglect of a ministerial officer to perform duty in a criminal case; confidentiality of reports, photos and recordings; and conflict of interest.
The investigation into Crandall and two deputy coroners began in April 2025 after the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation received a letter of request from Uinta County Attorney Loretta Howieson Kallas, who had “outlined severe operational and evidentiary failures,” according to Crandall’s arrest affidavit. As of press time, no charges had been filed against the deputy coroners.
The alleged misconduct occurred between July 2021 and September 2025. According to the affidavit, Crandall, while serving the dual roles of coroner and funeral home operator, “funneled $41,389.62 in public funds directly into his private business accounts.” Prosecutors also accused him of submitting an “officially altered death certificate containing statements he knew to be false or unverified.”
Authorities further allege he failed to protect and secure confidential coroner records and evidence such as prescription pills.
The aggregate theft charge, which combines several separate smaller thefts into a single felony charge, stems from a “systemic, multi-year fraudulent billing scheme executed by Coroner Crandall to deprive Uinta County of public funds exceeding $1,000 through deception, internal control bypasses and intentional rate manipulation,” the court document states.
Investigators pored over evidence, conducted interviews and performed a comprehensive audit of the Uinta County Clerk’s Office budget, expenditures and voucher records, including a 26-year review of Uinta County Board of County Commissioners meeting minutes. That review found that Crandall conducted county coroner business at Crandall Funeral Home “without any authorized lease, rental agreement, fee schedule or formal board resolution,” according to the affidavit.
The filings come more than three months after Crandall’s political opponent in the primary election and son-in-law, Allen Kopp, publicly stated during a candidate forum that “what has happened in the coroner’s office, for years, is criminal.”
Kopp purchased Crandall Funeral Home from his father-in-law in 2024.
“We need some transparency,” Kopp said during the July 9 forum. “I removed the coroner’s office from my building for a number of reasons.”
Circuit Court Judge Thayne Peterson referenced the election during Crandall’s court appearance on Wednesday.
“I understand we’re 12 days away from an election in which your name is on the ballot,” Peterson said during an expedited court appearance shortly after Crandall’s arrest that morning. Peterson read Crandall his constitutional rights and outlined the charges against him.
“I understand the elements,” Crandall said of several of the charges. “I adamantly deny it.”
Crandall, who appeared via video, told the judge that due to an “adversarial” relationship with Kopp, he “depended on [my] deputies to take care of stuff,” and he is now “accused of neglect for trying to cooperate.”
Peterson deviated from the $5,000 cash bond recommendation presented by Fremont County Attorney Micah Wyatt, who is serving as special prosecutor in the case, and set a $10,000 personal recognizance bond for Crandall. That means Crandall won’t have to put up any money to get out of jail ahead of court proceedings.
A preliminary hearing for Crandall is scheduled for Oct. 30. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
