Jail inmates say they were hazed with car battery shock

VERNAL — Two former Uintah County inmates say they were shocked by a car battery as an initiation into a jail work crew.

A lawsuit filed in federal court last week on behalf of 26-year-old Qaiyim Hill and 31-year-old Richard Anthony Uribe names the jail, two guards and the state of Utah.

The two men claim jailers told them that before they could join a work crew, they’d have to "ride the lightning," which meant grabbing hooks fastened to a car battery and absorbing electrical shock to entertain jailers.

Hill claims the shock caused him to have two seizures.

Uintah County Sheriff Jeff Merrell told The Salt Lake Tribune he’d never heard about shockings.

State corrections spokesman Steve Gehrke says his agency doesn’t comment on pending litigation.