Prison reports inmate death

By Greg Bird
birdman@tmcvoice.com

Officials at U.S.P. McCreary have reported the death of an inmate housed at the prison camp in Pine Knot. According to a press release issued Tuesday inmate John Arthur, 55, was found unresponsive at the institution at noon Monday and lifesaving measures were initiated by staff. Arthur was transported to a local hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries and pronounced dead at 1:00 p.m. by hospital staff. No further details of the injuries have been released by the prison.
Pulaski County Coroner Clyde Strunk stated in media reports that prison officials informed him that Arthur had been driving a zero-turn lawn mower to cut grass when the machine flipped on an embankment into a pond, trapping Arthur underneath.
Arthur, reportedly from Pulaski County, was serving a 15-month sentence for Aiding and Abetting the Receipt of Stolen Property of the United States after being sentenced in U.S. District Court.
Arthur had been convicted of falsely claiming disability to obtain checks between 2006 and 2015.
Arthur had been at the institution since July 30.
The Satellite Prison Camp at USP McCreary is a minimum-security facility that currently houses 128 male offenders.

Prison officials say an investigation is underway in to the death, and no staff or other inmates were injured. At no time was the public in danger.