john wayne blair attacked in prison

Dorinda Carter, Communications Officer for the Department of Correction in Nashville confirmed to the Seymour Herald that another inmate had attacked Blair.

Carter told the Herald that as a new admission to the correctional department Blair was taken subsequent to his sentencing from the Sevier County jail and admitted to Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex on March 17, 2007. Four days following Blair's move to Brushy Mountain Complex, he was assaulted.

"Blair was assaulted by another inmate and suffered lacerations to his face," stated Carter. "He was treated at Roane Medical Center."

Carter said Blair was taken to Charles Bass Correctional Complex and later moved to the DeBerry Special Needs Facility, a prison hospital. "The stay at the DeBerry Special Needs Facility will be temporary," stated Carter.

According to Carter, "Under normal situations the attacker will be disciplined and could face criminal charges."

The cause of the attack is unknown as this time. However a source close to the Herald stated that an alleged remark made by Blair about a photo of a black fellow inmate's daughter might have sparked the attack.

The Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary now renamed Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex (also called Brushy) is a large prison near the town of Petros, TN. It is operated by the Tennessee Department of Correction.

Nearly encircled by a remote section of the Cumberland Plateau, escape attempts have been infrequent and almost always unsuccessful. The prison has a current capacity of 590 and currently houses 546 inmates.

Among the most famous inmates at Brushy Mountain was James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin of Martin Luther King, Jr. As of 2006, it is the oldest operating prison in Tennessee.