OGDEN, Utah — An inmate says jailers in Weber County broke his back in a dispute that began with him asking for properly-served kosher meals.
The inmate, Corey N. Chesney, 38, says the altercation left him unable to walk. His civil attorney, April Hollingsworth, told FOX 13 News on Thursday that the conflict over Chesney’s Jewish beliefs has resumed and her client has not eaten since Saturday.
Hollingsworth described a call she received on Wednesday night. Another inmate at the Weber County jail called alerting her to what was happening in Chesney’s cell.
“I don't know what they were doing to Corey but, I could hear in the background Corey screaming,” Hollingsworth told FOX 13.
The caller told Hollingsworth there were seven or eight corrections officers – the preferred term for guards – in Chesney’s cell.
“I couldn't hear what he was saying,” Hollingsworth said, “but the inmate was telling me what [Chesney] was saying, screaming about his back, telling them to leave him alone.”
Weber County Attorney Chris Allred, in an email to FOX 13 on Thursday, said he has had “several conversations” with the sheriff’s office about Chesney.
“The Sheriffs Office strongly disputes the characterization of Mr. Chesney’s treatment” described by Chesney and Hollingsworth, Allred wrote.
Awaiting trial
Chesney has been in the Weber County jail since at least April 2024, according to court records. Probation agents – Chesney earlier had pleaded no contest to an assault – say they found methamphetamine as well as a revolver locked inside his storage unit in Ogden. Ever since, Chesney has been awaiting trial on drugs and weapons charges.
According to letters Chesney has sent to the judge presiding over his criminal case – and a notice Hollingsworth recently sent to Weber County – in July 2024, he complained corrections officers were touching his food, violating kosher meal protocols.
“If the jail was telling people,” Hollingsworth told FOX 13, “who were [members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] that they had to eat or drink things that were against the Words of Wisdom, you can imagine the outrage.”
Chesney quit eating.
“The guards were transporting him from one cell to another,” Hollingsworth told FOX 13 in an interview, “and wanted him to get on the scale.
“He didn't want to do that because he knew he lost weight. He was afraid that they would start force feeding him. So, he refused to get on the scale.
“And that's what led to this incident where they threw him to the ground in his handcuffs.
“And at some point there was kind of a series of assaults.
“And he's been unable to walk since July 2024.”
Legal filings
A November report from the Utah State Hospital said Chesney had a “wedge compression fracture of T11-T12” vertebrae. That report also noted a history of homelessness, substance abuse and mental health problems.
Chesney was later returned to the Weber County jail. Hollingsworth said Chesney has been issued a wheelchair.
Both Chesney’s writings and the notice Hollingsworth sent Weber County describe Chesney being unable to reach a toilet or sometimes placed in a cell without one, saying he’s been left to sit in his own waste.
The notice also says Chesney has been denied access to a chapel and “officers have mocked his faith and made antisemitic comments.”
Whether such comments were made is something that should be investigated, said Janice Ward, president of the board at Congregation Brith Sholem in Ogden.
“It’s a hate incident and they should all be reported,” Ward said.
Ward said her congregation has had only a few interactions with the Weber County jail over the years; Ward once counseled a corrections officer on how to provide religious accommodations to a different Jewish inmate.
“Most states don’t question when someone wants a kosher meal,” Ward said. “Utah tends to question these inmates to make sure they’re actually Jewish.”
The notice Hollingsworth sent Weber County, dated July 23, is required before any plaintiff can file a lawsuit against the government in Utah. The notice also gives the sides an opportunity to resolve their issues before going to court.
A hearing for Chesney’s criminal charges is scheduled for Tuesday in state court in Ogden. Hollingsworth, who is not representing Chesney in that case, didn’t know whether Chesney would ask for bail or some other arrangement that would release him from jail pending trial.
In February, a federal judge in Salt Lake City largely ruled in favor of another Weber County inmate, keeping his lawsuit alive. In that case, the plaintiff contends Weber County jail staff failed to identify and treat an infection of his testicles that resulted in him losing his scrotum.
Weber County is appealing the judge’s ruling.
Statement from Weber County Sheriff’s Office regarding inmate Corey Chesney:
"The Weber County Sheriff's Office has received a Notice of Intent to Litigate from inmate Corey Chesney and his legal counsel.
The Sheriff's Office maintains that the allegations outlined in the notice are inaccurate and do not reflect the facts of Mr. Chesney’s incarceration. Mr. Chesney has been housed at the Weber County Correctional Facility in accordance with established policies, professional correctional standards, and applicable laws.
All individuals in the custody of the Weber County Correctional Facility, including Mr. Chesney, are provided access to appropriate medical care through a contracted medical provider, religious accommodations, and other services consistent with their custody level and classification.
As this matter involves pending litigation, the Weber County Sheriff's Office will not be making further comment at this time."
