ATHENS, Tenn. (WATE) — A McMinn County woman who was indicted on more than 20 sex charges with minors has been indicted with additional charges Tuesday.
In February, Melissa Blair, 38, of McMinn County was charged with 18 counts of aggravated statutory rape, four counts of human trafficking by patronizing prostitution and one count of solicitation. She was booked into the McMinn County Jail and later released upon making a $100,000 bond.
“Our investigation has continued over the past few months,” said Sheriff Joe Guy, “in which additional victims were identified, and these cases were presented to the June Grand Jury today which resulted in the present indictments against Melissa A Blair.”
On June 21, 20 new indictments were issued including:
- Three counts of solicitation of a minor
- Four counts of solicitation of sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means
- Five counts of patronizing prostitution
- Six counts of aggravated statutory rape
- Sexual Exploitation of a Minor
- Exploitation of a Minor by Electronic Means
“These new charges are related to 9 new confirmed male juvenile victims, related to incidents which occurred from Spring of 2020 through late 2021,” said Guy. “At the time of these incidents involving Melissa A Blair, the males were between the ages of 15 and 17. It appears in these cases, as before, that Ms. Blair was communicating with the juveniles on social media, arranging meetings with them, and trading items for sexual encounters with them. These latest 9 victims, added to the 9 victims previously discovered before the February Grand Jury, brings a total number of 18 male juvenile victims in this case.”
Blair will remain banned from all McMinn County School properties or any activities with the school. According to Guy, Blair was taken into custody and was booked into the McMinn County Jail Tuesday evening and faces a $1,000,000 bond.
“I want to again commend our detective staff for the many hours of identifying, locating, and interviewing victims and their families, collecting physical and electronic evidence, as well as the many days of putting together the subsequent case file. But most importantly we want to offer support and resources to the victims and their parents as we move forward. By contacting the Sheriff’s Office, the McMinn Co Schools Board of Education, or the District Attorney General’s Office, victims and their families can be connected with available resources in coping with these incidents.” said Guy.
