Who Plays The Sheriff On Dutton Ranch? Criminal Minds Fans Will Surely Recognize Him

There's a new sheriff in town in Taylor Sheridan's western series "Dutton Ranch," but it's not the first high-profile show this particular actor has been in. "Dutton Ranch" is a spinoff of "Yellowstone," following Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler as they run their own ranch in Texas and fall into conflict with the powerful family, the Jacksons, already situated in the area. The local sheriff, Handy Wade, played by Josh Stewart, is caught in the middle, but he may be in cahoots with the Jacksons.

"Criminal Minds" fans will surely recognize Stewart as Detective William LaMontagne Jr., a detective who became a recurring, and beloved, character in the long-running series. Will originally crosses paths with the main characters, the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, in Season 2 during a case in New Orleans, and he pops up several times over the course of the following seasons too. Will even ends up dating and marrying a member of the unit, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau (A.J. Cook).

Stewart is not the only recognizable star from the cast of "Yellowstone" spinoff "Dutton Ranch." Alongside fan-favorites from the original show such as Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, the series stars Oscar-nominated actors Annette Bening and Ed Harris, as well as J.R. Villarreal, who already appeared in another super popular Sheridan series, "Landman," with Billy Bob Thornton.

Notably, "Dutton Ranch" is Josh Stewart's first major role since announcing his departure from "Criminal Minds: Evolution," the sequel series to "Criminal Minds," in January 2024. Over the years, the actor has remained consistently booked and busy, appearing in "The Dark Knight Rises," "The Punisher," and "Manhunt." But he gladly would have continued working on "Criminal Minds" regardless of whatever else was coming in. "I would have played Will and popped in and out of that show forever. I love playing that dude," Stewart confirmed to Us Weekly in May 2026, before reasoning simply, "It's business. That is the way it goes." In a 2025 episode of the hit show, Will dies after suffering an aneurysm, which surprised fans and the actor who played him alike. 

But A.J. Cook, who has also briefly left "Criminal Minds" before, admitted to Entertainment Weekly in May 2025 that, sadly, the writers had to kill Will off whether they liked it or not. "How do we move forward without feeling like we are in a prison of how we can write for JJ?" the actor, who plays his onscreen wife, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, contended. However, she acknowledged, "I think if we were still on CBS with our original format, we wouldn't have taken this route because we've gone seasons without seeing him." Alongside his starring role in "Dutton Ranch," Stewart also appears in Christopher Nolan's epic adaptation of "The Odyssey," alongside Matt Damon and Tom Holland.