CARTER COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Following the arrest of an escaped Carter County inmate, the sheriff’s office addressed questions from the public as to why he was able to serve on a work detail.

Billy Fletcher, 43, was arrested Thursday in Greenville County, South Carolina. Fletcher walked away from his assigned work detail at the Carter County Detention Center on June 20. As of Friday, his escape is still under investigation.

Fletcher appeared in court for a bond hearing Friday in South Carolina, during which a judge denied granting him bond.

According to the Carter County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), Fletcher is believed to have come into contact with missing man Victor Birchfield shortly after his escape. Birchfield remains missing as of Friday, but the CCSO confirmed his vehicle was recovered in South Carolina.

“Following Fletcher’s escape from custody, the Carter County Sheriff’s Office has received questions about Fletcher’s participation in the inmate work program regarding charges placed against Fletcher during a previous arrest,” the CCSO stated in a news release.

The release states Fletcher was serving a three-year sentence at the detention center after he was convicted of violation of his probation. He was on probation following a conviction of attempted burglary.

That attempted burglary charge stemmed from a November 2017 incident, which resulted in Fletcher being initially charged with domestic assault, attempted kidnapping and attempted burglary. News Channel 11 obtained court documents from that incident that alleged Fletcher had held a woman by the throat and attempted to force her into a truck before another man intervened and shot Fletcher.

The CCSO reports that when the case from that incident went to court, the attempted kidnapping and domestic assault charges were dismissed. Fletcher was found guilty of attempted burglary.

“Our nation’s criminal justice system was founded on the principle that a person is innocent until proven guilty,” Carter County Sheriff Mike Fraley stated in the release. “In this case, Fletcher was proven guilty of attempted aggravated burglary but not of kidnapping or domestic assault.”

Inmates who participate in a jail work program must meet certain qualifications, as outlined in Tennessee state law. The CCSO reports that relies heavily on what inmates have been convicted of.

“Under our policy, which conforms with state law, an inmate serving time for violent offenses, whether a misdemeanor or a felony, is not eligible to participate in the inmate work program,” Jail Administrator Captain Matt Patterson stated in the release. “Before an inmate is assigned to the inmate work program, we run a complete criminal history check on that individual to not only see what their criminal history has been like in Carter County but in other jurisdictions as well.”

The criminal history check on Fletcher revealed convictions of attempted burglary, violation of probation and failure to appear in Carter County. It also showed a conviction for a misdemeanor count of violation of an order of protection in another county.

“None of Fletcher’s convictions are classified by state law as ‘violent offenses’ that would prohibit him from participating in an inmate work program,” Patterson said.

Fletcher had participated in the work program at the jail since Jan. 26, 2024. The CCSO stated he was not involved in any disciplinary incidents before his escape.