An inmate at the Uintah County Jail was assaulted, sending him to the hospital to get stitches in his lip.
| by Travis Uresk | April 22nd, 2026 |
Vernal, UT. (4-12-26)—Deputy Tena was working in the Jailer Station with Deputy Simons, and at 8 am, they began to do their head count of all the blocks in the county jail.
Deputy Tena had her ID book to verify inmate identities, and Deputy Simons was verifying the number of inmates. They went to the Delta block and noticed that 26-year-old Inmate Bradley Louis Smith was not on the top tier or outside his cell block, Delta 3. Instead, he was standing on the bottom tier by cells Delta 7 and 8.
Deputy Tena looked at him and asked why he was not in his correct cell, but he refused to answer. Another inmate answered that Inmate Smith wasn't at his cell because he is a "chomo," which is a common phrase used in corrections to describe a child molester. The Victim then said he was only joking.
The deputies finished their head count and confirmed they had the correct number of inmates in the section.
Upon finishing the count, Deputy Tena ordered Inmate Smith to exit the block with Deputy Simons. Inmate Smith refused her orders and told him to exit the block again, but he ignored them. Deputy Tena ordered the entire block to rack into their cells, then looked at Inmate Smith one more time and ordered him to exit the block again. He eventually proceeded to exit the block with the deputies while the rest of the inmates racked themselves inside their cells.
The deputies took Inmate Smith outside the block and asked him what was going on, but he refused to answer and said to check the cameras. Inmate Smith was temporarily placed in a different block until the deputies determined the issue, due to potential safety and security risks.
The two deputies reviewed the camera footage and saw that three inmates had gone up to the top tier, to the Victim's cell. The three inmates who went up were 26-year-old Bradley Louis Smith, 30-year-old Jorge Ceja-Gonzalez, and 25-year-old Izaak Joseph Vijil.
It appeared that after Deputy Simons and Deputy Tena conducted their 7 am cell check, the three inmates decided to go to the victims' cell. In the camera footage, Inmates Smith, Ceja, and Vijil are seen sitting together at one of the tables in the dayroom. Then Inmate Smith moves to another table while Inmates Ceja and Vijil are still sitting together.
At approximately 7:24 am, Inmate Ceja got up from the table while saying something to Inmate Vijil. Inmate Ceja made his way to the second tier as Inmate Vijil followed.
Inmates Ceja and Vijil are not housed on the second tier, so this is considered out of bounds. Inmate Smith then got up and followed the other two inmates up the stairs; all three moved together, as if it were planned. Inmate Smith sat down on the very top of the stairs while Inmate Ceja walked past the Victim's cell. Inmate Ceja looked inside as he walked past, then turned back around as Inmate Vijil followed him.
Inmate Ceja opened the Victim's door to Delta 4 and appeared to be saying something while gesturing for the Victim to come closer. The Victim stepped out of his cell shirtless.
Inmate Ceja punched the Victim while Inmates Vijil and Smith ran toward them to join. All four inmates stepped into Delta 4 to continue the altercation. The Victim appeared to be backed up against the bunks in his cell while he was being hit by the other three inmates. At approximately 7:26 am, Inmates Smith, Vijil, and Ceja stepped out of the cell, and the Victim followed them.
The three inmates backed up as the Victim continued to approach them, then stepped toward the Victim as he reacted and stepped back. Inmate Vijil stepped forward and struck the Victim again, while Inmates Ceja and Smith joined the altercation once more. All three inmates hit the Victim numerous times at the same time. The altercation ended at approximately 7:27 am as the Victim stepped toward the other three inmates as they hurried off the second tier of the block.
As a result of the altercation, the Victim had to be taken to the Uintah Basin Medical Center, where he received multiple stitches on his top lip. The attack also reopened an old wound that he already had under his top lip, and his wounds had been actively bleeding when he was interviewed by law enforcement before he went to the hospital. He also had two black eyes.
After learning about the fight, Deputy Simons and Deputy Tena found multiple blood spots in the dayroom of Delta Block, on the stairs, on the second tier, and in the cell. Inside the cell, there was blood along the wall, the floor, on a towel, multiple sheets, a pair of shorts, and two pairs of shoes. In Delta 10, where Inmate Vijil was housed, a bloody pair of shoes was found as well. All evidence was photographed and recorded on body cameras. All four inmates were interviewed.
The three inmates who started the altercation refused to talk, while the Victim stated that the altercation happened as a result of gossip in the section. All four inmates were medically evaluated by the nurse.
As a result of the altercation, Bradley Smith is being charged with aggravated assault by a prisoner. Inmate Smith knowingly and intentionally caused serious bodily injury to the Victim, which resulted in a hospital visit and stitches. Due to the serious bodily injury, this is a second-degree felony. But it should be noted as well that the three inmates who attacked the Victim went up to the second tier together and helped each other commit the crime against the Victim. Therefore, using an enhancement penalty, the charge is being enhanced to a first-degree felony.
Deputy Tena is charging Inmate Izaak Vijil with aggravated assault by a prisoner. Inmate Vijil knowingly and intentionally caused serious bodily injury to the Victim, which resulted in a hospital visit and stitches. Therefore, using the enhancement penalty, Utah Code 76-3-203.1, the deputy is enhancing this to a first-degree felony.
Jorge Ceja is being charged with aggravated assault by a prisoner. Inmate Ceja knowingly and intentionally caused serious bodily injury to the Victim, which resulted in a hospital visit and stitches. Due to the serious bodily injury, this is a second-degree felony, but Deputy Tena enhanced the charge to a first-degree felony.
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