Calls made for DOJ investigation at Spartanburg jail weeks after report on inmate deaths

Families of two men who died after incidents involving Spartanburg County law enforcement gathered outside the Spartanburg County Detention Facility on Wednesday with renewed demands for accountability.

The families of Lavell Lane and Darius Holcomb and community activists repeated their requests for transparency surrounding the deaths and called for deeper investigation into conditions at the detention center.

Lane died inside the facility in Oct. 2022 after being arrested and booked for walking in the middle of Chesnee Highway. Holcomb was fatally shot by Spartanburg County Sheriff’s deputies in early Feb. 2023 after officers came to his residence to serve a warrant.

Both deaths are still under investigation by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, according to SLED spokesperson, Renée Wunderlich. Lane’s case has been active for roughly 6 months.

Dr. Candace Brewer, President of the Racial Justice Network, a national civil rights organization based out of South Carolina that advocates for prison reform, human rights issues and closing racial disparities, read a letter of demands outside of the detention facility. The letter called for a Department of Justice investigation into the Sheriff’s Office and Detention Facility to determine if there is a pattern of unconstitutional policing and detention conditions.

Copies of the letter were addressed and sent by mail to SLED Chief Mark Keel, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and the DOJ.

The demands come only weeks after a report from a University of South Carolina School of Law professor that detailed in-custody deaths across the state from 2015-2021. According to the report, SCDF had 18 deaths over the 7-year time frame, more than any other county jail. Information provided by the Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office accounted for five additional deaths in 2022 at the facility and two thus far in 2023.

Both families have previously appeared before the media outside the SCDF, along with representatives from RJN.

Terria Holcomb, Darius’ mother, and Timmia Holcomb, Darius’ aunt, both spoke briefly outside the detention facility. Timmia insisted the family “deserves answers.”

Beverly Lane-Reese and Andy Reese, Lavell Lane’s parents, also expressed their grievances.

“It's ridiculous. That happened on October 3,” said Beverly Lane-Reese, Lavell Lane’s mother. “And I still don't know. I had to put my son in the ground. Ms. Holcomb back here had to put her son in the ground. And there's plenty more. We need to be unified to come together.”

What do police leaders in SC think?Tyre Nichols' death renewed calls for police reform.

Elder James Johnson, founder and CEO of RJN, also asked Sheriff Chuck Wright for a sit-down conversation to address concerns of about county law enforcement.

“He needs to give us a call so we can actually sit down and talk. We're not his enemy,” Johnson said. “We want to sit down and talk and see if we can straighten this out."

Johnson said the organization will be the “check and balance” for county law enforcement going forward. The RJN runs a 24/7 hotline to report incidents involving gun violence, inmate issues or apparent law enforcement misconduct. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-694-1981.

“As I said a million times before, we don't hate law enforcement,” Brewer said. “We just want them held accountable.

Johnson declined to comment on whether any legal action is forthcoming absent the presence of attorneys.

Report:Deaths in SC prisons, jails. More died in Spartanburg jail than others.

Families, activists request conversation on policing concerns with Sheriff Chuck Wright

Johnson said Wright has previously rejected meetings with the RJN, while the families said at no point has the Sheriff’s Office initiated contact to provide answers.

The Herald-Journal reached out to Wright and the Sheriff’s Office for a comment on the press conference, letter and claims made about communication with families on Wednesday.

“We never comment on active investigations,” Sheriff’s Office public information officer, Lt. Kevin Bobo, said in an email.

Johnson and Brewer said sufficient efforts were made to contact the Sheriff’s Office. Brewer claimed Holcomb’s family started contacting law enforcement on Feb. 3, the day after the incident.

“They are well aware that their deputy, or deputies, killed Darius. They have the family's contact information,” Brewer said. “They know where he lives at, they have Racial Justice Network contact information. There should be no problem with them giving us a call or setting up a meeting.”

“He needs to come to us,” Johnson added.

SLED investigation exemption clause cited by Spartanburg County officials

Under South Carolina law, officials can, but are not required to, release information that could interfere with a law enforcement proceeding as an exemption of the state’s public records statute.

Local law enforcement agencies frequently cite ongoing SLED investigations when asked to provide documents on in-custody deaths or officers-involved shootings, saying releasing certain information can interfere with SLED’s process.

“It's totally up to [Sheriff Chuck Wright]. He will tell us that SLED has it and SLED won't release it, but he could release at any time if he had nothing to hide,” Johnson said.

Body camera footage is also exempt from public records disclosure under South Carolina law, though Johnson cited the Walter Scott incident in North Charleston as an example that a local agency may release footage if officials choose to.

“South Carolina is the only state that feels like they can wait 6-8 months, a year, before they release body cam,” Timmia Holcomb said. “It should not take that long for families to actually see what happened.”

The Greenville News and Spartanburg Herald-Journal recently talked to Upstate law enforcement agency leaders, including Wright, about use-of-force and best practices following the death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee.

“I don’t have a right to release it if SLED gets involved,” Wright said. “And even if SLED’s not involved, I still need to do the proper investigation before we do release anything. You know, I have to give due care and due process to everybody.”

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Advocates, families call for DOJ investigation at Spartanburg jail