A Blount County corrections officer is behind bars after authorities said he confessed to being sexually involved with at least two female inmates.

Daniel Kelsoe, 29, is facing two counts of custodial sexual contact, Sheriff Mark Moon announced Friday.

Kelsoe was booked into the Blount County Jail Thursday and later moved to an undisclosed jail outside of the county.

“It’s been some difficult days,’’ Moon said. “We are looking forward to better days.”

“It’s absolutely heartbreaking,’’ Moon said. “I lost a lot of sleep this week, sick at my stomach that this would happen. “

The investigation began Tuesday when the sheriff’s office command staff received information that Kelsoe had possibly been sexually involved with an inmate.

The sheriff assigned veteran investigator Sgt. Ed Hull to lead the investigation.

“They immediately went to work downloading videos,’’ the sheriff said. “We don’t monitor showers or anything but everything in the jail that we can monitor through video, we do.”

“He treated it just like a case he would if it was outside these doors,’’ the sheriff said.

Moon said they learned there were potentially three victims. In Alabama, an inmate cannot legally consent to sex with a jailer.

Investigators interviewed two female inmates, who were cellmates. One of them made the initial complaint.

Next, Moon said, they brought in Kelsoe for questioning.

“After those interviews were completed, we began to work on our forensic evidence that we were preparing to send to the lab to have tested,’’ Moon said. “During that time we had discussed…putting a rush on that.”

“This was one of those issues where we needed to rush this,’’ the sheriff said.

“The officer was scheduled to come to work, and I needed absolute hard proof so I could put him on leave or terminate him before he came back to work at this facility.”

After his initial interview, Kelsoe called Hull and said he wanted to talk to him again. In that second interview, Moon said, Kelsoe confessed to the crimes and was placed under arrest.

He has since been fired.

Kelsoe was hired as a corrections officer in April 2022, and Moon said he passed all hiring requirements including a background check and a polygraph test. He underwent jail training.

“This is something that we’re not happy to report today,’’ Moon said. “This is one of those things we needed to get out there and get in front of and let people know we take these crimes seriously.”

“This kind of thing will not be tolerated,’’ Moon said.

The sheriff said they are waiting for formal warrants on the charges involving two of the inmates. He said they have not yet been able to make a case against him on the third inmate, but the investigation is ongoing.

Authorities are asking any inmate who may have had a similar experience with Kelsoe to call sheriff’s investigators.

His arrest comes two months after a former Blount County Jail corrections sergeant was been indicted in the alleged assault of an inmate following an excessive force investigation.

Joseph Ray Snow, 43, was indicted on Jan. 26 on charges of second-degree assault with serious injury, a felony, and failure of duty or violation of law by guard…of convicts, which is a misdemeanor.

Moon previously said the incident happened in late 2022 when the man was brought to the jail on a public intoxication charge.

He said the suspect was somewhat disorderly but did nothing that merited an assault. Moon said it appeared Snow “snapped.”