Inmate facing sex charges returns to jail

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — An inmate accused of sexually assaulting multiple victims in Tennessee has been transported back to jail after being hospitalized for a suicide attempt, authorities said.

According to The Johnson City Press, the U.S. Marshals Service said Sean Williams, 52, had been under heavy supervision when he recently arrived at the Blount County Jail and was later placed in an isolation cell Tuesday. Sometime later that day, Williams attempted suicide but medical personnel stabilized him and transported him to a nearby hospital where he was treated for a puncture-type wound, authorities said.

Williams was released from the hospital back into custody Wednesday and will remain under a “significant” guard presence moving forward, according to a news release from the U.S. Marshals.

“Williams is a cunning and very dangerous individual who has attempted to escape, escaped from transport officers, and now attempted suicide, all to avoid facing his charges,” said U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Tennessee David Jolley.

Williams had been on the run for more than a month before being captured in Florida in November.

He was previously in federal custody on three counts of production of child sexual abuse material and one count of distribution of cocaine, and is now facing an escape charge, the FBI said.

A former businessman from Johnson City, Williams is also facing state charges including child rape, aggravated sexual battery and especially aggravated sexual exploitation, court records show. In addition, two lawsuits accuse him of drugging and raping multiple victims in the East Tennessee community for years. The lawsuits claim local police did little to investigate him.

Williams escaped from a transport van Oct. 18 en route from a Kentucky detention facility — where he was held after a previous escape attempt in Tennessee — to the federal courthouse in Greeneville, Tennessee, according to the FBI. A criminal complaint says deputies found Williams missing and the back window of the vehicle kicked out after arriving at the courthouse.

Additionally, at least 10 women have accused Williams in lawsuits of drugging and raping victims for years before his arrest.