This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Washington County jail guard has been charged with a felony and seven misdemeanors alleging sex with three inmates at the Purgatory Correctional Facility.
In charges filed Monday, police wrote that two women told investigators they had sexual contact with Steven Garrett Thayer, 27, while they were incarcerated at the jail. The investigation began Sept. 28.
Thayer admitted to the relationships and also said he had sexual contact with a third inmate, police wrote. Thayer was charged with third-degree felony custodial sexual relations and seven misdemeanor counts of custodial sexual misconduct.
Thayer was arrested last week. Officials with the sheriff's office then said that Thayer no longer was employed there.
In 2006, two other former jail guards pleaded guilty to misdemeanor custodial sexual relations after being accused of having sex with inmates in the Purgatory jail.
Erin Alberty