14-03-2025
Three SC corrections officers plead guilty to drug trafficking and misconduct
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – Three former South Carolina Department of Corrections employees have pleaded guilty to trafficking and distributing drugs within prisons.
37-year-old Kevin Leroy Howard pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamines, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, misconduct in office, and providing contraband to inmates, according to the South Carolina Attorney General's Office. Howard was a correctional officer at Tyger River Correctional Institution, and was initially arrested July 2023 after he was caught bringing cylinders filled with drugs into the department. Howard was sentenced to a total of four years in prison.
In a separate case, two other corrections officers pleaded guilty to misconduct in the office, and allowing contraband to enter the institution. These officers were identified as Lieutenant Dontai D. Park and Sergeant Brandon C. Taylor at McCormick Correctional Institution. Both officers were sentenced to seven years in prison, and have been banned from seeking employment as law enforcement.
These cases were part of the state's 'Gatekeeper' investigation.
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