State officials are investigating allegations of assaults on an inmate at the Morgan County Jail, a law enforcement official said Friday.
The two investigations by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation were acknowledged on Friday by Ninth District Attorney General Russell Johnson.
The first investigation focuses on an allegation that an inmate was assaulted by another inmate on November 24, and two corrections officers may have encouraged the assault or at least stood by while it occurred, a press release said.
The second investigation involves an allegation that four corrections officers assaulted an inmate on December 15, hours after that same inmate made a seemingly unprovoked but violent assault against two corrections officers, the press release said.
The release said all TBI investigations are deemed confidential and not subject to public review according to state statute.
“No further information will be released by the 9th DAG until both investigations are concluded,” the release said. “In the event that there are any charges criminal charges, information from the TBI investigative file will not be released until the case(s) are concluded.”
The information was released to several press outlets on Friday in response to a request from the Morgan County News, which called wanting information about a TBI investigation (based upon an undisclosed tip to that newspaper) into an assault that occurred at the Morgan County Jail in November.
“The policy of the 9th DAG office is to present the results of all TBI investigations that indicate a finding of possible criminal conduct to the appropriate county grand jury for that grand jury’s review, once the investigation is concluded,” the release said. “If the 9th DAG deems the conduct to be criminal conduct capable of successful prosecution, then an indictment is presented to the grand jury as they make their review.”
The next meeting of the Morgan County Grand Jury is on Monday, January 25, 2016. If any investigation is not sufficiently concluded, TBI or otherwise, then it is not be presented to a grand jury.
“Also, keep in mind that any subject of a TBI investigation or other investigation is deemed by the criminal justice system to be innocent of any allegation until proven guilty jury or convicted by a court,” the release said.
The Ninth Judicial District serves Loudon, Meigs, Morgan, and Roane counties.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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