The Detention Center
Sweetwater County Detention Center
- Operated bySweetwater County Sheriff's Office
- Built2005. The county calls it the county's only jail, with capacity over 200 inmates.
- Address50140 US Highway 191 South, Rock Springs, WY 82901 — in Rock Springs, not the county seat.
- JuvenilesOne of only four county facilities in Wyoming with a separate juvenile holding facility.
- Federal detaineesThe facility appears on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detention-facility list.
- Rated capacity and average daily population
- Annual detention budget and cost per inmate per day
- Deaths in custody, by year
- Federal per-diem contracts (US Marshals / ICE) and what they pay
- Whether an inmate can post a cash bond by card
Source: Sweetwater County detention · checked August 21, 2026
The Sheriff
Sheriff John Grossnickle
- LeadershipThe county states the office is led by Sheriff John Grossnickle and Undersheriff Joe Tomich.
- Detention budget requested vs. approved, by year
- Jail staffing levels and vacancy rate
- Lawsuits and settlements involving the jail
Source: Sweetwater County Sheriff · checked August 21, 2026
The Judges
Wyoming splits the bench. Circuit Court handles initial appearances — the first place bond is set. District Court takes felonies after bindover.
Circuit Court, 3rd Judicial District
- Hon. John Prokos — appointed June 2013; term expires January 2027
- Hon. E. Dean Stout — appointed May 2026; term expires January 2029
50140C US Highway 191 South, Suite 200, Rock Springs, WY 82901
District Court, 3rd Judicial District
- Hon. Suzannah G. Robinson — appointed October 2019; term expires January 2027
- Hon. Clark Stith — appointed April 2026; term expires January 2029
80 West Flaming Gorge Way, Suite 255, Green River, WY 82935
- The county's bond schedule
- Share of the jail population held pretrial
- Median time from booking to first appearance
Source: Wyoming Judicial Branch, wyocourts.gov · checked August 21, 2026
Notes on the record
- Two judges here were appointed within months of this check — District Judge Stith in April 2026 and Circuit Judge Stout in May 2026.
- The jail is in Rock Springs while the county seat and district court are in Green River; the circuit court shares the jail's campus.
These three offices decide who sits in a cell in Sweetwater County and what it costs the people who live here. Nationally, almost 77% of the people who died in local jails in 2019 had not been convicted of anything, and suicide was the leading single cause of those deaths (Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Local Jails, 2000–2019).
How much is your sheriff — and your judge — costing you?
Names verified August 21, 2026 · dollars and outcomes still being gathered