Former York County SC jail detention officer charged with inmate sexual misconduct

Andrew Dys
·2 min read
24

A former South Carolina detention officer at the York County jail has been charged with misconduct after alleged sexual activity with an inmate, officials said.

Benjamin Adam Skidell, 33, of Clover, was arrested Monday morning and booked into the jail in York where he used to work, arrest and jail records show.

Skidell is charged with second-degree sexual misconduct with an inmate or patient, and misconduct in office, according to jail records and a statement from the State Law Enforcement Division.

Skidell is accused of illegal sexual activity with an inmate between May and November of 2020, according to SLED arrest warrants obtained by The Herald.

The arrest warrants said there was video surveillance from the jail, along with statements and other evidence, that was used as probable cause for the arrest of Skidell.

The warrants state that Skidell was working as a detention officer at the jail in 2020 at the time of the incidents.

Suspect no longer works for sheriff’s office

York County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Trent Faris confirmed to The Herald that Skidell used to work at the York County Detention Center in the Moss Justice Center in York.

The detention center is operated by the sheriff’s office. Detention center employees work for the sheriff’s office, Faris said. In South Carolina, each sheriff in all 46 counties operates a county jail.

The sheriff’s office asked SLED to investigate after allegations were made in November 2020, Faris said.

Skidell was suspended after the allegations were made in November 2020, then fired in December 2020, the sheriff’s office said in a statement Monday.

York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson said in a statement the allegations are against the professional and accountability standards his employees are sworn to uphold.

“These allegations, if proven true are disturbing, but are not indicative of the great work of all the men and women do on a daily basis at the York County Detention Center,” Tolson said. “This incident has tarnished those values we hold dear.”

Because Skidell used to work for law enforcement in York County, the case will be prosecuted by the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, which covers Spartanburg and Cherokee counties, SLED officials said.

Skidell was given an $8,000 bond after a first court appearance Monday, records show.

The second-degree sexual misconduct with an inmate charge carries up to five years for a conviction, South Carolina law states. Misconduct charge carries up to a year in prison for a conviction, under South Carolina law.