The Daily Times

If you’ve ever been to the Blount County Justice Center, you’ve probably seen Kenny Melton working in the halls or chatting with deputies. If he’s anywhere near a door when you’ve tried to walk through it, he’s probably been there to hold it for you.

He looks a lot more like an employee of the Justice Center that what he really is �" an inmate, incarcerated since 2001 on a drug charge.

Melton, now 32, was convicted of selling 0.6 gram of cocaine to an undercover officer with the Fifth Judicial Drug Task Force, and because the crime took place at his Maryville home, which was in a school zone, he was sentenced to 15 years in jail.

But thanks to a commutation from outgoing Gov. Phil Bredesen, Melton is now looking at the possibility of getting out of jail much sooner than 2016. Bredesen knocked four years off Melton’s sentence and he is now eligible for parole on Aug. 15, 2012.

In the recommendation for clemency, it was noted that Melton never sold drugs to children.

“Mr. Melton was convicted for selling cocaine out of a residence where he lived, taking care of his sick father,” the recommendation said. “The house was located in a school zone. Mr. Melton never sold any drugs to students or minors.”

Melton, though, is quick to point out that it’s still not a sure thing that he’ll get out right away. While Aug. 15, 2012, is the date he is eligible for parole, the parole board still has to grant him release.

But even the fact that he’ll be eligible for parole four years sooner than he originally thought, that’s a happy development for Melton.

“It’s great,” he said. “The good Lord blessed me, the good Lord blessed me about it.”

Melton has worked in many different positions during his time at the Blount County Jail, including the Blount County Community Action Agency (where he worked with Meals on Wheels), the jail kitchen and maintenance �" where he has done jobs ranging from stripping and waxing the floors to mowing and planting a garden.

The skills he has learned while working at the Justice Center will help him immensely when he does finally get out and starts looking for a job.

“They have taught me numerous skills that I didn’t have when I first got here,” he said. “(The Sheriff’s Office) has opened a lot of doors in the workplace for me.”

“... I think I might be a decent painter,” he added.

Melton said about 200 people sent letters to the governor’s office in support of his commutation, including Blount County Sheriff James Berrong.

“That’s miraculous,” he said. “I never in my life expected to have 200 people back me in anything I’ve done.”

Melton isn’t sure yet what he’ll do �" or even what he wants to do �" for work when he gets out. But there are a couple things he’s looking forward to.

“I’m going to take a bath, that’s my first objective, is to take a bath,” he said with a smile. “All we have are showers; a bath doesn’t really get you clean but I want to take one.”

Along with that, he’s also looking forward to a “good home-cooked meatloaf,” he said, preferably his grandmother’s.

Until Melton is eligible for parole in 2012, it will be business as usual at the Justice Center for him �" working to keep the facility clean and maintained. But he knows, thanks to the tremendous amount of support he received in his clemency request, that he has a lot of people in his corner now and will have them with him when his parole hearing comes. And for that, he is grateful.

“I want to thank everybody who was instrumental in assisting in (the clemency request) and thank them for their continued support,” he said.