Noel said the incident remains under investigation, but he said it is an isolated incident and did not believe there were any security lapses.

The Utah Department of Corrections yanked all of its first-degree felons out of county jails following the escape of an inmate from the Beaver County Jail last year and the escapes of two convicted killers from the Daggett County Jail.

The escapes prompted an audit by the Department of Corrections of security lapses at county jails across the state and questions by top officials, including the governor, over the practice of housing state inmates in county facilities.

Many county sheriffs have since complained that the department's decision has left them with more problematic inmates rather than the easier to manage first-degree felons.

The sheriff said he did not believe that Anderson or Joseph were singled out in Monday's attack.

"In my opinion, it was whoever came to let them out," Noel said. "He was the one that was there that let them out."

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com