LOGAN — A 26-year-old Logan man already sentenced to prison for dealing drugs and other crimes has confessed to beating up a fellow inmate at the Cache County Jail. Zachery R. Wood accepted a plea deal to a lesser charge and will now be sent to prison for at least two years.
Wood was arraigned in 1st District Court Monday morning. He pleaded guilty to a charge of assault by a prisoner, amended to a class A misdemeanor.
Cache County Chief Deputy Attorney Spencer Walsh explained how last Monday, Wood got into an argument with another inmate at the jail. The argument became physical and the defendant punched the victim in the face, blooding his nose.
Wood admitted that he made a mistake and “snapped.” He told the court he was stressed at the time of the fight because he had just been sentenced to prison.
Walsh said Wood has a bad attitude. He expressed hope that the defendant would be able to improve his life.
Wood was arrested during a drug raid September 19. When officers entered a residence, the defendant flushed an unknown amount of LSD down the toilet. They also found evidence on Wood’s smartphone that showed he was dealing drugs.
The arrest occurred while Wood was supposed to be participating in Drug Court, a weekly rehabilitation program that is overseen by a judge.
Last week, Wood was sentenced to serve two consecutive terms of one-to-15-years at the Utah State Prison, meaning that he won’t be eligible for parole for two years.
During Monday’s sentencing, Judge Thomas Willmore ordered Wood to serve another zero-to-five years in prison. The sentence will run concurrent with last week’s sentence though, and will likely not result in any additional prison time.