SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 5, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Department of Corrections on Friday released information on a series of system errors that may have led to an earlier parole for Cory Lee Henderson, who on Jan. 17 fatally shot Unified Police officer Doug Barney and seriously injured another UPD officer.
The parole board did not have full and accurate information when it made its decision, according to an investigation conducted by the UDC, because:
• The on-duty supervisor with Adult Probation and Parole misidentified the law enforcement agency that arrested Henderson on Oct. 3, 2015 on weapons and drugs charges, and and did not clearly communicate the arrest date to Henderson’s agent.
Because of that, the agent pulled a previous arrest report for Henderson, which was used to amend the AP&P fugitive warrant for Henderson.
• On Nov. 2, 2015, the agent notified a Utah Board of Pardons and Parole hearing officer he could not locate the new charges and asked that the inaccurate information be stricken from the amended warrant.
That meant the fact that Henderson’s crimes were recent, and their exact nature were not considered when the parole board made its decision at a Nov. 4 parole violation hearing.
• In addition, a federal detaining order filed with the Utah Department of Corrections on Nov. 25, 2015, was not electronically scanned into the Department’s database until Dec. 18, 2015, the same day Henderson left the Fortitude Treatment Center.
A fugitive warrant was not issued issued until Dec. 21, 31 days before police say Henderson killed Barney and shot UPD officer Jon Richey, who survived. Had it been scanned immediately, it would have triggered an immediate notification to the Board of Pardons and Parole weeks earlier than it did.
The Utah Department of Corrections, through spokeswoman Brooke Adams, said it has taken steps to correct and improve the systems and procedures that led to the problems that may have hastened Henderson’s release.
The department is also considering disciplinary actions for employees directly involved, Adams said, in a prepared statement.
Barney was shot on the morning of Jan. 17 when he tried to question Henderson, who had reportedly left the scene of a serious accident in Salt Lake City. Barney died several hours after being shot in the head.
Richey is recovering from gunshots to his legs. Henderson was shot dead at the scene of the incident by officers from various agencies.
