A Dunnellon man who is currently incarcerated in the Marion County Jail for a sexual battery charge against his estranged wife was restrained and detained by eight officers during an attempted escape.
Kevin Blessitt, who is 49 years old, was charged with escape and resisting an officer with violence this past week after attempting to make a break from his cell to a restricted area at the Marion County Jail.
According to an arrest affidavit from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Blessitt ran through a hallway and into a separate pod, ignoring commands from officers. He was caught away from the pod to which he is assigned and resisted efforts by multiple officers attempting to restrain him.
According to the affidavit, Blessitt was tased and pepper sprayed while a total of eight officers responded to the incident to subdue him.
When questioned, Blessitt originally stated he was running from other inmates that had threatened him. He said he told them he had “45 pizzas next door” before he was threatened and had to “look for a way out.” He continued to provide “nonsensical” statements when questioned after the events before eventually admitting he was looking for a way out of the jail. He admitted he was aware that he was committing a crime through his actions.
Blessitt currently awaits a pretrial conference next month. He faces sexual assault and false imprisonment charges that spawn from a January incident in which Blessitt allegedly detained and raped his estranged wife.
Blessitt’s next court docket date is set for September 14, according to jail records.