Police continue to search for a Carter County inmate who walked off a work detail Monday afternoon following an altercation with another inmate that sent the injured man to the hospital.
According to police, inmate James Edward Walton, of Elizabethton, walked away from a work detail in Roan Mountain around 3 p.m. on Monday. On Tuesday, Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford released more information about the incident involving the inmate.
Lunceford said Walton assaulted another inmate at the work site before fleeing.
“He hit him with a shovel and ran,” Lunceford said. “We don’t know what caused the altercation at this time.”
“We’re still in the process of investigating it,” Lunceford added.
The injured man was later transported to a hospital for treatment. Lunceford said his department is not releasing the name of the injured inmate at this time.
“All indication at the time of the incident was that he was not injured. It didn’t cut him or anything,” Lunceford said. “As time went on and our medical staff continued to monitor him it became apparent there was something serious going on.”
Medical staff at the detention center sent the injured inmate to the hospital for treatment, and the inmate underwent surgery according to Lunceford.
Charges against Walton are currently pending regarding the assault on the other inmate and his fleeing the work detail, Lunceford said.
Walton was serving time in the Carter County Detention Center on a violation of probation charge, and Lunceford said Walton was not considered a violent or dangerous inmate before the incident on Monday. “He wouldn’t have been on a work detail if he was,” Lunceford said.
A search of records with the Carter County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office revealed multiple prior convictions in Walton’s record. Walton is currently serving time for violating the terms of his probation following convictions on multiple charges including burglary, theft over $1,000, and vandalism over $500.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of James Edward Walton is asked to contact the Carter County Sheriff’s Office at 423-542-1845 or their local law enforcement agency. Tips can also be submitted through the Sheriff’s Office website at www.sheriff.cc/contacts/crime-tip/. All tips can be made anonymously.