SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Corrections announced Thursday the director of the division of Adult Probation and Parole has resigned along with a regional administrator after several offenders who a left treatment center later committed violent crimes.
In a press release issued Thursday, it was announced director Geri Miller-Fox has resigned along with Wendy Horlacher, who is a regional administrator for AP&P region 3.
The move comes after several offenders who walked away from Fortitude Treatment Center in the last year have been involved in violent encounters with police, including the fatal shooting of Officer Doug Barney in January.A new task force to address that issue was created Wednesdayafter one of those walkaways rammed a police car while fleeing from police Tuesday.
James Hudspeth has been appointed as the interim director. Hudspeth currently serves as director of the department’s Law Enforcement Bureau.
The press release includes a list of steps the department has taken “In the past 24 hours… to enhance its management and supervision of offenders in the community”:
• Twenty-nine people residing at community correctional centers were or are in the process of being returned to jail or the Utah State Prison after testing positive for drug use or engaging in noncompliant behavior. One individual’s status is under review.
• Four people were arrested on fugitive warrants and booked into jail or returned to the Utah State Prison.
• A 10-member Fugitive Response Team continues to work intensively, in partnership with local law enforcement agencies, on apprehending high-priority walkaways and fugitives.
• The Department has placed a hold on all new probation or parole violator placements at community correctional centers.
the Law Enforcement Bureau until a new bureau director is selected for that post.
In addition, Director Cook has assigned Dan Blanchard, deputy director for AP&P, as interim administrator for AP&P Region 3, which includes Salt Lake, Tooele and Summit counties.
In the past 24 hours, the Department has engaged in the following actions to enhance its management and supervision of offenders in the community:
• Twenty-nine people residing at community correctional centers were or are in the process of being returned to jail or the Utah State Prison after testing positive for drug use or engaging in noncompliant behavior. One individual’s status is under review.
• Four people were arrested on fugitive warrants and booked into jail or returned to the Utah State Prison.
• A 10-member Fugitive Response Team continues to work intensively, in partnership with local law enforcement agencies, on apprehending high-priority walkaways and fugitives.
• The Department has placed a hold on all new probation or parole violator placements at community correctional centers.
• The Department is reviewing all residents currently in community correctional centers for appropriateness of placement.
• The Department is verifying employment and work hours for all residents of community correctional centers.
• Off-site work searches by residents of community correctional centers who are not currently employed have been suspended through the holiday weekend. Beginning on Tuesday, only residents who have verified job appointments will be allowed to leave centers and they will be allowed off-site for a maximum of four hours.
• The Department is requiring any resident of a community correctional center who needs medical treatment to be escorted to, during and from those appointments.
• The Department is increasing availability of substance abuse treatment and other programming services at community correctional centers for residents to minimize off-site travel.
• The Department is transitioning residents of community correctional centers who are in full compliance and have an approved, appropriate address to intensive supervision in the community.
