MORGAN COUNTY, Tenn. — Months after Morgan County correctional officer Dustin Pedigo was stabbed to death inside Morgan County Correctional Complex, Governor Bill Lee and Ninth Judicial District Attorney General Russell Johnson are addressing prison safety concerns, an ongoing TBI investigation and the status of the criminal case.
Pedigo was stabbed to death in February by a man who authorities identified as inmate Reginald Steed. The Tennessee Department of Correction has said it’s looking into the attack on Pedigo the night of Feb. 24 as he made cell door rounds alone at Morgan County Correctional Complex in Wartburg. Since then, questions have continued surrounding staffing, safety and conditions at the Morgan County prison.
Gov. Bill Lee made an unannounced visit to the prison weeks after Pedigo’s stabbing death, where he met with both staff and inmates. During the visit, Lee called Pedigo’s death “a tremendous tragedy” and said the state must continue looking for ways to improve safety inside Tennessee prisons…