This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There's a new sheriff in Daggett County.
Erik Bailey was sworn in as the county's top lawman Friday afternoon, according to a sheriff's office news release. The Daggett County Republican Committee on Thursday nominated the former Ogden police officer for the job after expanding their search amid a shortage of local candidates.
Bailey will serve the remaining two years of the term in the position, which was vacated by Jerry Jorgensen after he resigned in April amid an inmate-abuse scandal. Commissioner Jack Lytle has been acting sheriff since last month.
"I look forward to rebuilding the trust of the community, law enforcement and the state of Utah," Bailey said in a statement released Friday.
The county is working on what Daggett County Commission Chairman Chad Reed called a "culture change" after a monthslong investigation into alleged inmate abuse that led to charges against the former sheriff, as well as four former deputies. The investigation led the Department of Corrections to withdraw 80 state inmates from the jail in February, resulting in a significant hit to the county's budget.
Jorgensen voluntarily resigned April 24 and was charged in May with misdemeanor counts of failing to safely keep inmates, obstruction of justice and official misconduct.
Between April 2016 and April 2017, a deputy sheriff allegedly assaulted inmates with a stun gun, and inmates were exposed to "harm from K-9s brought into the jail to be trained as service dogs" at the county jail, according to charges, which allege Jorgensen provided false information regarding a criminal offense and didn't investigate criminal conduct by his employees.
Originally, the county looked for candidates who had been residents of the county for at least six months, but eventually expanded their search.
Daggett is the state's most northeastern and smallest county, with 1,100 residents.
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