PARK CITY – A former Daggett County sheriff’s deputy Joshua Cox, 27, was sentenced to jail Monday after facing several felony counts for incidents that occurred in Daggett County jail in 2016.
Joshua Joseph Cox was sentenced to 120 days in the Uintah County Jail, after pleading guilty for Aggravated Assault, a third degree felony.
Official statements show Cox is accused of unlawfully bringing a Taser into a secured area and using it on inmates multiple times, promising them a case of soda if they could endure it for five seconds.
Cox is also accused of giving a Taser to an inmate to threaten and scare another inmate.
Documents show Cox allegedly used a Taser on woodworking shop crew inmates as a form of “initiation.”
According to the documents, Cox brought uncertified police K9s into the jail and made inmates hold the dog training apparatus “so he could teach uncertified K9s basic obedience training.” The K-9 bit two inmates during that incident.
Cox had been facing seven felony counts of Aggravated Assault, two felony counts of Transport Weapon/Ammo/Etc – Secure Area or Facility, one misdemeanor count of Theft and one misdemeanor count of Reckless Endangerment.
A judge dismissed five of Cox’s Aggravated Assault charges, one of the Transport Weapon/Ammo/Etc – Secure Area or Facility and the Reckless Endangerment charge.
Cox pleaded guilty to the other two counts of aggravated assault, one count of Transport Weapon/Ammo/Etc – Secure Area or Facility and one count of theft. Cox faced up to 16 years in prison.
