A federal jury has found Daggett County liable for abuses some former inmates say they suffered while incarcerated there.
After deliberating several days, the jury handed down a split verdict. It found that three former inmates — Steven Drollette, Joshua Asay and Joshua Olsen — had their constitutional rights against cruel and unusual punishment violated. The jury did not find the county liable for Dustin Porter. Altogether, the jury awarded them $352,300 for the harms.
“I think the jury has sent a strong message that violations of the Eighth Amendment are serious and that counties will be held accountable when they mistreat their prisoners,” said the plaintiff’s lawyer, John Mejia of the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah.
The inmates had accused their jailors of using a Taser on them as an “initiation” to their incarceration. One accused Deputy Joshua Cox of shocking inmates and promising them a case of soda should they withstand the shock for at least five seconds. The deputy was also accused of allowing a K-9 to bite two inmates.
The situation inside the jail became publicly known in 2017 when the Utah Department of Corrections abruptly pulled their inmates out of the Daggett County Jail. Then-Sheriff Jerry Jorgensen resigned as the Utah Attorney General’s Office brought criminal charges against him and several deputies employed at the jail. Most took plea deals, including Sheriff Jorgensen — though court records show his was later withdrawn after it was found a judge accepted the plea but it was technically not entered as a judgment. Prosecutors opted not to pursue further charges against Jorgensen and he retired.
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