Jon Woodard

Wasatch County Attorney

About Jon Woodard

Integrity * Justice * Experience

Jon Woodard was born in Salt Lake City in 1976. He attended Brigham Young University for his B.A. He spent five months at a study abroad in Israel, where he met his wife, Faith. In High School and college he would often work on a family sheep ranch in Mt. Pleasant, Utah. After graduating from BYU, he worked for a few years in Michigan and Utah before attending Law School at Willamette University in Oregon. He earned his Juris Doctorate with honors in 2007, also earning a certificate in International and Comparative Law. He practiced law for a few years in Oregon, both in a firm, and as a prosecutor, before coming back to Mt. Pleasant, where he worked for the City. After that, he moved to Heber City to live near his parents. He worked as V.P. Corp Counsel for a green energy company, before joining the Wasatch County Attorney’s Office in 2017. He is raising his two children in this lovely valley he calls home.

Wasatch County was founded by a moral and law abiding people. We have opened our community to people from all over the world, both to visit and to establish their families and homes. Effectively preserving what makes our community attractive to us and the world requires fairly and consistently holding people accountable when they do not follow our laws, and also by educating them so they can understand our laws.

The wealth of our community makes it at times more costly and difficult to hold some people accountable when they do not follow the law. At the other end of the spectrum, those who are struggling financially and socially may find it difficult to access the support they need to enjoy the protection from crime that every person in our county should enjoy. I will work to apply the law fairly and with integrity, with justice being equally applied and accessible to all—regardless of wealth or status.

I also believe that the Second Amendment is an important first line of defense for law abiding people to protect themselves and their families. I will work ensure the County Attorney’s Office makes prosecutorial decisions that carefully consider whether the use of a weapon was justified in self-defense or defense of others, consistent with the law and the facts of each case.

A republic is a government of laws, and not of men.
- John Adams (attributed)

No man is above the law, and no man is below it.
- Teddy Roosevelt

The County Attorney has two key roles. Civil Litigation and Criminal Prosecution.

Civil Litigation: We defend the county in civil litigation, and advise the County on what the law is and what risks particular decisions create with respect to litigation. The County Council, the County Manager, and other employees and officers of the County rely on sound legal analysis. If that legal advice is biased or wrong, they cannot make informed decisions on how to govern the County.

Criminal Prosecution: We prosecute criminal law. This requires a sound understanding of what the criminal law says, and a sense of what justice requires. If relationships or personal interests interfere with the law being applied fairly, the integrity of the prosecution is compromised, and the public’s trust in equal justice under law is undermined.

In both roles, the County Attorney must exercise independent judgment grounded in law, facts, and fairness—nothing more and nothing less.

Our communities in Wasatch County were founded by moral people who loved their land, their community, and their freedom. The moral fiber that built our community continues today. I will support schools, including homeschoolers, that help our children be prepared for the future. I will continue to support the ability of religious institutions to thrive in our community, consistent with constitutional protections. I will support community resources that help with the physical and emotional needs of our community.

Sometimes those without a voice are the victims of terrible crimes. As County Attorney, I will strive to help protect those less fortunate by diligently prosecuting crimes against vulnerable victims, and by working to ensure appropriate resources are there to help victims of abuse. I will continue to support the Wasatch County Children’s Justice Center, which works to protect our youth, and help our community be a safe place for our families.

The strength of free peoples resides in the institutions which they have developed.
- Alexis de Tocqueville

I will support efforts to preserve the natural beauty of our County
- Jon Woodard

The beauty of Wasatch County is not just scenic—it is foundational to who we are.

Open space, agriculture, parks, and public lands inspire deep appreciation and a sense of wonder. I have worked to support efforts of the Wasatch County Council and other community leaders to protect open space, and to maintain and manage our public lands in a way that helps ensure these resources will be available to our community for years to come.

The County has also invested millions of dollars into conservation easements to preserve the North Fields and other jewels of the community. In our strong desire to protect these scenic views, it is essential that such easements ensure long term protection of the lands, and that County funds allocated for open space are used in a lawful and responsible manner. I will continue to work to promote and protect our precious scenic views that define our community.

Utah law protects the vested rights of property owners to use their properties in accordance with Utah Law and County Code. I will work and advise to help ensure the rights of private property owners are protected, while balancing those rights with the County’s long-term conservation goals.

I have lived in larger cities where minor crimes were not effectively punished, leading to high levels of repeat offenses and community disorder. I was a prosecutor in a smaller County in Oregon where widespread illegal drug use drove theft, property crimes, and even homicides. Coming back to Utah from Oregon, I was surprised to see people leaving their bikes on their front lawn, without fear of them being stolen.

While the biggest key to a safe community is the moral behavior of the public, holding people accountable through firm prosecution, and a willingness to go to trial when justice requires it, plays a critical role in deterring crime and protecting victims. As County Attorney, I will work to effectively prosecute crimes based on evidence and the law to protect our safety and our property

The principal aim of society is to protect individuals in the enjoyment of those absolute rights which were vested in them by the immutable laws of nature.
- William Blackstone

The ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval of police actions.
- Sir Robert Peel

The relationship of the prosecutor’s office with the Heber City police, the Wasatch County Sheriff, the Utah Division of Natural Resources, the Utah Highway Patrol, and other law enforcement agencies is important for effectively prosecuting crimes, and for determining when criminal charges should be filed. Law enforcement officers keep the peace, and gather the evidence our office needs to effectively prosecute a case. I will work to build and maintain relationships with law enforcement that protect our public safety.

Without the cooperation of the public, and other institutions, both private and public, our office cannot effectively perform our role. Fairly and consistently enforcing the law, reaching out to victims, and making sentencing recommendations that reflect the seriousness of the crime help the public know that when they interact with law enforcement and the prosecutor’s office, it will lead to a fair and just result.