Knox County board member says sheriff blocked board access after jail review, asks to be reinstated

Luca Mellon, a member of the Knox County Board of Visitors, told the Knox County Commission on May 13 that the sheriff cut off communication and blocked him from touring the county jail after the board issued an eight-page report of recommendations.

Mellon said he was appointed to the Knox County Board of Visitors in October 2023 and that, under the governing statute he cited as "title 30 a subsection 16 51," the sheriff does not have authority to remove board members. "I am still an active board member until the end of my three-year term in October 2026," Mellon said, and he urged the commission to press for the board’s mandated access.

Mellon described the board’s work as a mix of commendations and recommendations and said cooperation with the sheriff’s office halted after the report. He said PREA-related concerns prompted a PREA audit last summer, but that he has not been able to obtain the audit results and is still waiting on copies. Mellon also said he requested contracts and other materials from the sheriff’s office and has not received them; he told the commissioners he believes the medical contract for the jail is "more than $1,000,000," though he said he did not remember the exact amount.

Mellon urged clearer and timelier reporting when someone dies in county custody and asked that the sheriff’s office provide a transparent process for notifying the public, while acknowledging that releasing a name may be delayed until family notification. "If the person's name can't be released because the family hasn't been notified yet, fine. But still saying that it happened would be appropriate," Mellon said.

Commissioners asked Mellon for documentation and said they would follow up. One commissioner said the commission’s tools are limited because the sheriff is an elected constitutional officer and not directly controlled by the commission, but added the commission could review contracts and press for transparency. The chair said he would schedule a conversation with the sheriff to try to move the issue forward.

Mellon also asked that the open vacancy on the Board of Visitors be publicly posted and for the sheriff to comply with the board’s enabling law so that people with lived experience can serve. Mellon closed by saying he wanted to continue working constructively and asked to be allowed to complete his term.

Next steps noted in the meeting: commissioners said they would review any documentation Mellon provides, attempt to obtain the PREA audit and relevant contracts, and attempt to schedule further discussion with the sheriff’s office. The commission took no formal action on Mellon’s requests during the meeting.