ST. GEORGE — The second suspect accused of joining his partner in the sexual abuse and rape of a child is in jail in Washington County, after a 5th District Court judge in St. George ordered that he be extradited from Beaver County – where he was serving time as a state prison inmate on an unrelated case and just weeks before his scheduled release.
The defendant, 39-year-old Travis Jesse Regg, was scheduled to be released from jail in Beaver County on Tuesday, where he had spent more than a year on a burglary conviction, but his parole release was halted by a transport order that was signed Dec. 7, by 5th District Court Judge G. Michael Westfall in St. George.
According to court documents, Westfall signed the order after he already had notified the Utah Department of Corrections in November of the active no-bail hold that was filed in Washington County in April. It was when the judge learned of the inmate’s pending release, despite his notification, that he was advised that a transport order would be needed.
In the supporting documents filed with the court, Prosecutor Lane Wood states, “It is imperative to ensure that the defendant is not released pending the resolution of this case,” adding that the judge already had directed the Department of Corrections that Regg “is not to be released!!!”
The order requiring that Regg be held until arrangements could be made to return him to Washington County was filed in the case, and on Dec. 21, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office transported Regg to Purgatory Correctional Facility where he remains without bail.
Regg’s prison sentence expires Dec. 31. According to Mike Haddon of the Board of Pardons and Parole, neither the board nor the state can hold Regg in prison beyond that date.
“It would be both illegal and create liability to the State to hold him beyond that date,” Haddon explained.
“The Department of Corrections typically conducts prison releases on Tuesdays which is why the Board moved his release date to this past Tuesday, December 27th,” Haddon stated in an email. “The next Tuesday would be January 3, 2023, which would hold him in prison beyond his maximum statutory sentence length.”
Two working in concert
The case involves 14 first-degree felony charges – seven counts of sodomy upon a child, four counts of rape of a child and three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child – that were filed in connection with a report involving the sexual abuse of a child.
Investigators were assigned to the case after a call came into the St. George Police Department by an out-of-state relative in January who reported that a 9-year-old family member she was caring for had been sexually molested while living in St. George.
Investigators learned the abuse reportedly took place over a three-year period, starting when the child was 9 years of age. The abuse also involved a second suspect, Laura Regg, the defendant’s wife, and both reportedly worked in concert to rape and sodomize the child, an account that also was corroborated by several family members and included the timeline and locations of the abuse, as reported by St. George News back in April.
Prior to the call to police, the child left Utah and is living on the East Coast with relatives.
Case against Laura Regg
Laura Regg originally was charged with 15 first-degree felonies for the role she played during the abuse of the child, which she admitted to during a sentencing hearing held in July. Nine of the charges were dismissed in exchange for a guilty plea.
The sentencing hearing held July 13 was also presided over by Westfall, who described the crimes as “the epitome of evil.”
On the six first-degree felony charges that included one count each of rape of a child, sodomy of a child and aggravated sexual abuse of a child, the judge sentenced Laura Regg to 65 years in prison between the charges – meaning she would not be eligible for parole until she has served 65 years in prison – at which point she would be 101 years old.
Travis Regg slated for trial
In May, detectives went to the Beaver County Jail to speak with Travis Regg regarding the 14 first-degree felony charges that were filed in the case, but court records indicate the interview was cut short when the defendant refused to answer any questions without an attorney present.
He is scheduled to appear on Jan. 4, 2023, for a review hearing in St. George, and according to court records, the case is scheduled to be set for a jury trial. He remains in custody in Washington County without bail.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
Ed. note: This article was updated to include information about laws dictating the release of inmates at the state prison.
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