With local prosecutors having a conflict of interest, the Fremont County Attorney’s Office will handle an unspecified criminal case involving a local juvenile.

Last week, Park County commissioners passed a resolution officially allowing Fremont County to “evaluate and make prosecution decisions” in the matter.

Cases are referred to other offices whenever a prosecutor feels they have a conflict of interest, so the referral to Fremont County is not an indication of its seriousness.

“It’s a case that they might review and say, ‘We’re not even filing charges,’ or it might go diversion, it could go [to] juvenile court,” Park County Attorney Bryan Skoric told commissioners. He added that, since the case involves a juvenile, the details are confidential; the resolution indicates only that it’s from this year.

Skoric said the case “doesn’t involve anyone in my office, no family members, but it’s still generated a conflict for my office to handle it.” The Big Horn County Attorney’s Office sometimes handles so-called conflict cases for Park County, but he said “Big Horn County might even have a conflict” on this particular matter.

Skoric’s office similarly assists other counties with cases that they don’t feel they can handle, including a pending matter from Big Horn County.

“From time to time, conflicts come up,” Skoric said.

Fremont County won’t charge Park County for the time it spends on the case as a special prosecutor, but will bill any costs and expenses.

—By CJ Baker