Daggett County Jail problems called systemic

The Utah Department of Corrections has completed its investigation into security lapses at the Daggett County Jail that allowed a pair of killers to escape.

"We could say it was systemic," corrections chief Tom Patterson said in an interview with the Deseret Morning News. "It needed to have an overall review. It was that way when the inmates escaped."

On Tuesday, Patterson traveled to Manila to review the investigation results with county officials there. Inmates at the Daggett County Jail have been in lockdown since last week when convicted murderers Juan Diaz-Arevalo and Danny Gallegos slipped through an unlocked door, over a razor wire fence and into the mountains nearby.

The pair were captured in Wyoming on Saturday after breaking into a camper trailer, tying up retired Salt Lake City police officer Bill Johnson, 79, stealing his SUV and leading police on a chase that ended in a shooting.

Diaz-Arevalo waived extradition during a court appearance in Green River, Wyo., on Tuesday, and is expected to be returned to Utah to face charges soon.

Corrections officials have been tight-lipped about the Daggett jail's specific problems but said there were procedural, technological and staffing issues. The door used by inmates in the escape from is electronically controlled but was not working. The deputy on duty that night was sick. He has since resigned.

"The primary concerns I have are in the management of the jail itself," Patterson said, adding that Daggett County officials are willing to make changes. "They have said they would do whatever was necessary to rectify the situation."

A Daggett County sheriff's spokeswoman did not immediately offer comment.

Patterson has laid down a series of timetables and requirements for the jail to improve before the inmate lockdown can be lifted. Because they deal with security, the corrections boss would not be specific about changes but called them "significant."

"We will be using our officers and staff to assist in helping make those implementations, even if it means temporarily assigning them to Daggett County," Patterson said.

Corrections officials have ordered a review of security at all 20 county jails with state contracts to house inmates. Patterson said he wants the reviews to be finished within 30 days.

On Monday, investigators inspected the Garfield County Jail in Panguitch.