UPDATE: SC prison guard used chemical spray, tossed liquid on inmate, officials say
A Midlands man not only is out of his job at a South Carolina prison, he is facing criminal charges for assaulting an inmate, the Department of Corrections said Thursday.
Louis Quattlebaum Jr., who was a lieutenant at Turbeville Correctional Institution, was charged with third-degree assault and battery and misconduct in office Thursday, spokesperson Chrysti Shain said in a news release.
The 28-year-old Sumter man is facing the charges following a Sept. 23, 2019 incident, arrest warrants show.
Meanwhile, an attorney for Quattlebaum denies the charges.
After an inmate threw an unknown substance on Quattlebaum through the food flap of a locked cell door, the prison guard retaliated, according to arrest warrants.
Although the inmate was locked behind the cell door, and was not “an immediate threat,” an angry Quattlebaum doused the prisoner with chemical spray before throwing an “unknown brown liquid” onto the inmate, arrest warrants show.
This caused the inmate to suffer a temporary injury to his face, according to the arrest warrant. Information on the current condition of the inmate was not included in the release.
Quattlebaum no longer works for the Department of Corrections, Shain said.
Quattlebaum’s attorney, Manning’s Chris DuRant, claims the suspect’s resignation was “given more than a month prior to any notice of investigation of alleged wrongdoing.” The lawyer said Quattlebaum “vehemently denies” the allegations against him.
“We’re confident that once the facts are brought to light in this matter, Mr. Quattlebaum will be cleared of any wrongdoing,” DuRant said, in a statement.
He was released from jail after posting a $1,500 personal recognizance bond, Clarendon County court record show. Quattlebaum is scheduled to next appear in court on Feb. 25, according to judicial records.
If convicted on the felony misconduct in office charge, Quattlebaum faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, while a conviction on the misdemeanor count of assault and battery carries a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine, according to South Carolina law.
Turbeville Correctional is a men’s-only, medium-security institution that houses 854 inmates, according to the Department of Corrections. The prison is in Turbeville, about 60 miles east of Columbia.
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This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 2:50 PM with the headline "UPDATE: SC prison guard used chemical spray, tossed liquid on inmate, officials say."
