Several charged in the Daggett County Jail abuse scandal made their first court appearance in Summit County this week. Former Sheriff Jerry Jorgensen, former Lt. Benjamin Lail, and former deputy Joshua Cox appeared briefly in 3rd District Court on Monday as their attorneys scheduled an upcoming hearing, reports KSL. The charges allege that 4 deputies knew about or used Tasers on inmates and in one case used inmates as test dummies during the training of K-9 dogs that resulted in injury. The Utah Attorney General’s Office charged the men in May in 8th District Court. Rodrigo Toledo and Logan Walker are charged with class B misdemeanor official misconduct. Former Sheriff’s Deputy Joshua Cox is facing the most charges including 2 counts of transporting a dangerous weapon into the jail and 7 counts of aggravated assault, which are all 3rd degree felonies. He also faces misdemeanor charges of theft and reckless endangerment. Former Jail Commander Benjamin Lail is facing a charge of 3rd degree felony aggravated assault. Finally, former Sheriff Jerry Jorgensen is charged with misdemeanor failure to keep inmates safe as the acting sheriff, obstruction of justice, and official misconduct. 80 state inmates were removed from the Daggett County Jail in February after Sheriff Jorgensen notified the Utah Department of Corrections of a situation he had been made aware of and asked them to investigate. Jorgensen resigned Sunday, April 23rd, citing a desire to help Daggett County move forward. The motion for a change of venue from Daggett County was based on the small population of the area and that a jury would likely fall short of the standards of fairness and impartiality. A full-day hearing for Jorgensen, Lail, and Cox is scheduled for September 7th. The two other men charged, Rodrigo Toledo and Logan Walker, will appear in Summit County Justice Court on August 14th.
