Inmates, guards charged in S.C. prison system crime crackdown
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Several people have been charged as part of an effort to address criminal activity inside South Carolina prisons.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that multiple investigations into several state prisons have led to charges against both inmates and correctional officers.
Bond hearings for some of these individuals were set Wednesday at the Richland County Courthouse.
The South Carolina State Grand Jury issued indictments for two people in investigation “Clean Sweep”, looking into attempted murder and corruption at Lee Correctional Institution. Wilson said Dexter Brown is charged for the assault and attempted murder of a fellow inmate as well as helping inmates obtain contraband. His official charges include attempted murder, rioting or inciting to riot, inmate carrying or concealing a weapon and criminal conspiracy.
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Regina James, a correctional officer at Lee Correctional, was also charged in connection with the contraband conspiracy. Wilson said James was also aware of information concerning Brown’s alleged assault of a fellow inmate and did not report it to investigators. Her official charges include criminal conspiracy and misconduct in office.
In addition to the Lee Correctional investigation, Wilson announced charges against four more individuals in investigation “Sneaky Sticks”. These charges focus on alleged public corruption related to narcotics and contraband trade inside Turbeville, Lieber, and Kershaw correctional institutions.
Wilson said Daquan Crummey, Victoria Singletary, and Chiquila Adams are all charged in Clarendon County with attempting to furnish a prisoner with contraband and misconduct in office. Adams and Singletary were also charged with criminal conspiracy while Crummey was given an additional charge of trafficking fentanyl.
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Demetrio Chaplin was also charged in Clarendon County with attempting to furnish a prisoner with contraband and criminal conspiracy.
Six other people were arrested in connection with a drug trafficking conspiracy, illegal contraband trades and money laundering at Kershaw Correctional Institution in Lancaster County.
“Those SCDC officers and staff who abuse the public trust and with the criminals, when they are sworn to protect the public, will face ability from this committed partnership of prosecutors and law enforcement,” Wilson said.
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“These cases show that SCDC will not put up with corruption,” said Bryan Stirling, Director of the S.C. Department of Corrections. “These SCDC employees who have broken the law and the public trust are being held able. When dirty staff and inmates conspire to sell drugs and other contraband inside the prisons, it puts the public, staff and inmates at risk. This is unacceptable, and I won’t stand for it.”
These investigations were conducted by the State Grand Jury Division of the Attorney General’s Office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the South Carolina Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General and local law enforcement agencies.
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