Former Greenville detention officer charged with distribution of drugs, contraband to inmates
A former Greenville County Detention Center correctional officer has been charged with distributing drugs, criminal conspiracy and furnishing contraband to inmates, according to a release from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division on Monday, July 10.
According to warrants provided by SLED, Joshua Rey, 23, distributed suboxone strips to several people incarcerated at the Greenville County jail between April and Sept. 2022. Suboxone is a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone and is most often used to treat opioid addiction by diminishing withdrawal symptoms and cravings.
Warrants also allege Rey worked with incarcerated individuals to transport and provide cigarettes and miscellaneous contraband. Rey was compensated financially, warrants say. Allegations are based on camera footage and witness statements obtained during SLED’s investigation.
According to Bob Mihalic, Government Affairs Coordinator for Greenville County, Rey was placed on administrative leave on Sept. 21, 2022 as a result of a joint investigation involving the detention center and SLED. Rey emailed a letter of resignation the following day while the investigation was on-going, Mihalic said in an email.
Rey was charged Sunday, July 9 and booked at the Greenville County Detention Center.
The charges come weeks after a civil lawsuit filed on behalf of Allan Lindsey Zack, 36, who died from acute fentanyl toxicity while in custody at the detention center in May 2022. The lawsuit claims the facility has poor staff training and inadequate security, and that it is “well known” a large number of the jail population had access to contraband.
Kyle White, an attorney based in Anderson, filed a lawsuit Friday, June 9, on behalf of Zack’s father, Ronald Zack, in Richland County where the South Carolina Department of Corrections is based. The lawsuit alleges poor conditions at the Greenville facility left unchecked for years by the state corrections department contributed to Allan Zack’s death.
According to the lawsuit, SCDC annual inspections of the jail dating back to 2015 found it was grossly overcrowded and understaffed. For years the conditions were so bad detainees were left unsupervised and cells exceeded capacity, the lawsuit said.
“Supervision was so deficient at the facility that guards were allowed to assist detainees with illegal activities in exchange for payment, including the smuggling of contraband and illicit drugs,” the complaint read.
Detention centers that fail to meet the minimum standards required by state law, as alleged in Zack’s lawsuit, are at risk of being shut down by the state Department of Corrections.
Kathryn Casteel is an investigative reporter with The Greenville News and can be reached at KCasteel@gannett.com or on Twitter @kathryncasteel.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Former Greenville detention officer charged with distribution of drugs
