DAGGETT COUNTY, Utah - Daggett County Sheriff Jerry R. Jorgensen has resigned.
His resignation comes about two months after 80 inmates were moved from the Daggett County Jail amid allegations of employee misconduct.
Last week two corrections officers were fired and a jail commander resigned.
The Daggett County Sheriff's Office sent Fox 13 News this statement:
"Sheriff Jorgensen’s resignation was completely voluntary. It came because of his desire to help the county move forward in the process with Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) to return inmates to the Daggett County Jail. He felt a clean break with a new sheriff would facilitate that more quickly.
He personally made the request to corrections in early January for an investigation when information came to him involving possible mistreatment of inmates. He recognized the allegations as very serious and took decisive action. He is involved in the investigation only because he was in charge of the sheriff’s office and takes responsibility for what happened while under his command."
Director of Communications/Government Records with the Utah Attorney General's Office, Daniel Burton, sent Fox 13's Ben Winslow this statement.
"It is not our standard policy to comment during investigation or screening. But, it was reported by the Utah Department of Corrections that we received the case last week so we can confirm that we are reviewing the initial investigation. The Utah Attorney General's Office is working closely with the Utah Department of Corrections to answer any outstanding questions or conduct interviews from that investigation. We are prioritizing this case due to the nature of the allegations and we are working as quickly as possible to reach our final screening decision on prosecution. As urgently as we desire to see justice done in this case, we must be as careful and methodical as we are in reviewing and screening all of our cases. That is the only way to protect the integrity of the process and the rights of those involved."
