SALT LAKE CITY — Some changes are underway after an inmate was wrongfully released from the Davis County Jail last month.
Joseph Armijo, 34, was released on Sep. 26 while he was being held at the Davis County Jail under a state contract. He was arrested in January on charges of aggravated assault, assault of a pregnant woman and aggravated kidnapping. He was set to be released on that day, but then his parole was canceled due to a disciplinary violation.
He was out for 14 hours until law enforcement realized the error. They found him at his mother’s home and re-booked him into prison.
The Utah Department of Corrections announced Wednesday that the preliminary results of their investigation showed "procedural errors" on both the state's and county's side.
The department also said it's making some changes to avoid similar things from happening in the future.
"UDC now requires written notification to jails if there is any change in the release status of any individual," their announcement read.
Davis County officials said at the time that Armijo's situation was a unique one.
“The typical process for release is that most inmates head back to the prison, where they will go through their release at that facility," said Stephanie Dinsmore with the sheriff's office. "A special exception was made to have this inmate released at our facility due to the proximity of his mom and her location to our facility in Davis.”
