St. George • Even though he is new to the job, Washington County’s top attorney is no novice in the courtroom. He already has helped prosecute some of southern Utah’s most prominent cases over the past two decades.
County commissioners chose Jerry Jaeger over two other candidates to fill the remaining term of Eric Clarke, who stepped down as Washington County attorney earlier that month to relocate to the Wasatch Front and become the new general counsel for the Utah Association of Counties.
“Jerry stood out for his professionalism, his attention to detail, how thorough his [case] files are and how well prepared he is far in advance of going to trial,” said Washington County Commissioner Adam Snow, explaining why he and his commission colleagues selected Jaeger over county prosecutor Zac Weiland and St. George attorney Larry Meyers. “He’s a very tough prosecutor.”
Also weighing in Jaeger’s favor, Snow added, is the widespread support for him among police chiefs, detectives and others in the law enforcement community. He also garnered the most votes in an informal poll the Washington County Republican Party Central Committee conducted on the three candidates.
Prosecuting Warren Jeffs
Jaeger has worked in law enforcement for nearly 30 years, including stints as a deputy sheriff in Albany County while earning a law degree at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, and as an FBI agent in Los Angeles before joining the Washington County Attorney’s Office in 2005 to help prosecute the case against Warren Jeffs, the head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who is now serving a life sentence in a Texas prison for child sexual assault.
In his work as the lead special victims prosecutor for the office, Jaeger has prosecuted some of the county’s toughest homicides, including the ongoing case against Mia Bailey, the double homicide suspect accused of killing her parents in their Washington City home in June 2024.
He is also heading up the case against Benjamin Lewis Hansen, who was arrested in early July after a shootout with St. George police and now faces numerous charges, including nine counts for attempted murder.
Jaeger has prosecuted nearly 100 jury trials during his career, more than any prosecutor in the office, and has a 100% conviction rate in trials involving special victims–cases involving crimes against children, the elderly, people with disabilities, to name a few, according to Deputy County Attorney Courtney Brinkerhoff Sinagra.
While Clarke’s expertise was in civil law, Jaeger’s focus as county attorney will center on criminal matters.
“I’ve been handling the toughest cases for many years now, and I will continue to handle those cases,” Jaeger said.
Divvying up duties
To that end, Jaeger has formed and oversees a five-member leadership team, with each member being tasked with different duties in administration, training, civil and criminal matters. He said that will free him up to continue prosecuting cases in court.
Another key emphasis, Jaeger added, is to work closely with victims of crime and help them navigate the legal process.
“This is one of the most difficult times in their lives, and we need to have empathy and be there for them and help them through the process,” Jaeger said.
As county attorney, Jaeger presides over 40 employees, half of whom are attorneys, more than double the total from two decades ago. Still, the office has no written policies and procedures, something the new county attorney aims to rectify.
“If we can get those all put [in writing],” he said, “we can have more transparency and people will know that we are fighting hard for victims and all coming together … to make sure we are seeking fairness and justice at the same time.”
Jaeger will serve out the remainder of Clarke’s term and stand for election in November 2026.