SC jail guard charged with multiple assaults of inmates, sheriff says
A 32-year-old correctional officer at the Richland County jail is in custody after allegedly assaulting inmates on multiple occasions in recent months, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said in a statement.
Wendell Sholar, who was booked Friday, is at least the 15th employee of the scandal-plagued Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center arrested in the past year, according to past reporting.
Sholar was placed on leave after a Jan. 18 incident in which he is accused of dragging a handcuffed inmate up the stairs, slamming him against a wall and punching him several times, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said. He had to be restrained by other guards and removed from the inmate’s cell, the department said.
While reviewing the alleged January attack, investigators learned of another alleged excessive force incident three months earlier on Oct. 17.
In that case, Sholar is accused of shoving an inmate in his cell and onto his bed and proceeding to to punch the inmate repeatedly in the head and upper torso, the sheriff’s department said.
Other guards intervened and removed Sholar from the cell and then prevented him from reentering the cell when he attempted to continue battering the inmate, RCSD officials said.
While being escorted away by the guards, the sheriff’s department said Sholar grabbed another inmate by the collar and shoved him.
Sholar has been charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, third-degree assault and three counts of misconduct in office, the sheriff’s department said.
“We will continue to hold those accountable whether they are inmates or correctional officers,” Lott said in a statement following Sholar’s arrest. “The law applies to everyone.”
This story was originally published February 9, 2024 at 2:23 PM with the headline "SC jail guard charged with multiple assaults of inmates, sheriff says."