Sheriff Richard Eldredge was charged in 2017 with witness retaliation (a third-degree felony), and misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, obstruction of justice, and official misconduct. The charges stemmed from a 2015 incident where Eldredge allegedly pointed an unloaded assault rifle at Deputy Todd Bristol during a firearms qualification shoot. Eldredge reportedly apologized after the incident. In August 2017, a judge dismissed all charges against Eldredge, citing insufficient evidence. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/general-news-a72ef93b43a54cd69cef764732ab9c66?utm_source=openai))
[Return to blog post](https://watchaudits.com/richard-eldredge-san-juan-county-sheriffs-office/)
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