A pair of Duchesne County Jail inmates are facing charges of Forcible Sexual Abuse following an instance within the jail involving two additional inmates. 30-year-old Zhondee Spring Nephi, who was arrested in connection with the
August 23rd
homicide of Sukakee Manyhides, and 21-year-old Letha Beston, who is being held for a weapons offense charge, are each charged with two counts of second-degree felony Forcible Sexual Abuse and Nephi is also charged with third-degree felony Assault By A Prisoner. Originally both women are being held at Duchesne County Jail under a sheriff’s office contract with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The new charges, however, come from the state. Court documents describe the instance documented on the jail’s security video in which Beston took two female inmates into the shower of their housing unit and performed a “strip search” on the women. The women were made to take off all their clothes. Deputies interviewed the two women and were told that Beston was acting “at the command” of Nephi who had suspected the women of stealing sugar packets from her. One woman said she had submitted to the search to “avoid a fight” and the other woman said she believed the sugar packets story was made up and just an excuse to belittle the two victims. Security video also shows the second inmate confronting Nephi after the search and Nephi grabbed the women “by the throat and punched her in the face.” Nephi and Beston both acknowledged to investigators that the searches had taken place and Nephi said she struck one of the women who was searched. Duchesne County prosecutors had to obtain warrants for both Nephi and Beston’s arrests because they were legally under tribal jurisdiction. Dates have not yet been set for their court appearances on the new state charges.
