Logan • A former northern Utah jail guard who pleaded guilty to a stalking charge after tracking down female inmates online has been sentenced to 30 days behind bars.

The Herald Journal newspaper in Logan reports one woman said Tuesday that messages from 36-year-old James Joshua Woytko were particularly disturbing because he'd apparently gotten accessed jail systems to get her information, including intimate knowledge of her appearance.

Defense attorney Ryan Holdaway says the onetime guard didn't fully realize how he had affected the women until charges were filed, and takes full responsibility.

Holdaway asked for probation, but Judge Brian Cannell said he imposed jail time because Woytko was a law enforcement officer who violated the public trust.

Woytko worked at the Cache County Jail from 2011 through 2017.