MOAB, Utah — A corrections deputy at the Grand County Jail has resigned from his position after being charged with taking an inappropriate video or photo of a mentally-disabled inmate and sending it to a coworker.
Ronald Frederick Eugene Dolphin, 26, was charged Monday with one third-degree felony count of sexual exploitation of a vulnerable adult. The investigation and charging process was conducted by Millard County authorities as Dolphin was employed by the Grand County Sheriff's Office.
According to a search warrant sent to Snap Inc., Dolphin (a Moab resident) was suspected of sending the "image" in question to a coworker via Snapchat. The Millard County Sheriff's Office began investigating the case in October. Investigators said Dophin allegedly took the "photograph/video" off of a monitor inside the Grand County dispatch center. The footage reportedly showed a "mentally deficient adult male," who was incarcerated at the jail in Moab, masturbating while naked. It was not specified whether the "image" Dolphin allegedly took and sent was a video or a photo.
A Millard County detective spoke with Dolphin, who admitted that he did indeed send the "image" to a coworker.
The Grand County Sheriff's Office issued a press release saying they learned of the criminal charges against Dolphin on Monday, the same day they were filed. They said Dolphin was "immediately" placed on administrative leave and conducted an Internal Affairs investigation. He resigned "in lieu of termination," the statement read. The findings from the IA investigation will be forwarded to the Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training Division, the GCSO said.
Dolphin has been summoned to appear in court on Feb. 21; As of Monday evening, court records do not indicate that he has been arrested, nor has a warrant for his arrest been issued.
