Violent inmates yanked from county jails after escapes

UTAH STATE PRISON — Corrections officials have ordered about 100 of their most violent state inmates to be yanked from the county jails they contract with.

It comes on the heels of an escape by a convicted rapist and kidnapper from the Beaver County Jail. Joshua Brian Whallon, 21, scaled a razor wire fence and dropped 20 feet to freedom. Whallon, convicted of rape and aggravated kidnapping in 2005, was on the run for about seven hours Sunday, until he was captured about 10 miles from the jail.

For Utah Department of Corrections director Tom Patterson, plans to remove violent offenders from county jails has been in the works since two convicted killers escaped from the Daggett County Jail on Sept. 23.

"We got all of our murderers out from the county jails," he told the Deseret Morning News this morning. "We should have the next phase done within the next week."

Between 80 and 100 inmates who are doing time for aggravated offenses like kidnapping, rape, and sexual assault will be removed from the county facilities. Patterson would not rule out pulling more inmates as they find room within the state prison facilities at Point of the Mountain and Gunnison.

Speaking to the Deseret Morning News' editorial board last week, Patterson said that if he had it his way, all state inmates being housed at county facilities would be back at the state prisons. However, that is not feasible given funding and bed space shortages.

Instead, Patterson said corrections will be implementing new controls, including changes in what inmates they make available to be placed in county jails. Already, county sheriffs have the final say in what inmates get into county-run facilities.

"That's something that we're going to play a bigger hand in is who we give an opportunity to," Patterson said.

The Utah Department of Corrections recently completed a security review of all 21 county jails that the state contracts with. The review was ordered after convicted murderers Danny Gallegos and Juan Diaz-Arevalo escaped from the Daggett County Jail and were on the run for six days, until they were captured in Rock Springs, Wyo.

Corrections officials have said that all jails that were audited had problems that needed fixing. Beaver County Sheriff Cameron Noel told the Deseret Morning News he is already working to make improvements, including adding more razor wire over the fence that Whallon jumped over.

The Daggett County Jail has been attempting to make changes after its escape, corrections spokesman Jack Ford said Monday.

"They have ordered some of the required cameras, concertina wire," he said. "We're just waiting. As soon as they say they've got things taken care of, we're ready to put inmates back there. But we need to have a secure facility."

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com