Five individuals are facing criminal charges in the latest with the Daggett County Jail investigation that led to the jail being closed earlier this year. 4 deputies including the previous jail commander are alleged to have known about or used Tasers on inmates and in one case using inmates as test dummies during the training of K-9 dogs that resulted in injury. The Utah Attorney General’s Office charged the following men last week in 8th District Court. 26-year-old Rodrigo Toledo and 46-year-old Logan Walker, both former Sheriff’s deputies, are charged with class B misdemeanor official misconduct. Former Sheriff’s Deputy 27-year-old 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 31-year-old 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 on Friday, February 17th, and 2 employees were put on administrative leave shortly after. Several weeks prior, Daggett County Sheriff Jerry Jorgensen had 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 the County move forward in the process with the Utah Department of Corrections to return inmates to the jail. The Daggett County Commission assumed control of the Sheriff’s Office on April 25th, with Commissioner Jack Lytle heading the Sheriff’s Office until an official recommendation to replace the Sheriff be made by the County Republican Committee. “Our emphasis is on refilling the Sheriff’s position and maintaining our collaborative relationship with the Governor, his staff, and the Department of Corrections,” shares Commissioner Lytle. “There is a lot to work through and we appreciate everyone’s sensitivity to that end. Hopefully we can stay focused on looking forward and learn from the past. We have great employees and we owe them that effort.”
