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. [Read more…]