A former SC correctional officer provided contraband to inmates, sheriff says

A former correctional officer is facing charges after admitting to providing inmates with cellphones and illegal narcotics, according to the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office.

Tayana Izlar, 26, has gone from guarding inmates at the Orangeburg County Detention Center to becoming an inmate herself after investigators discovered that she provided contraband to inmates, the sheriff’s department said. She was arrested and charged Thursday with one count of furnishing prisoners alcoholic beverages or narcotic drugs and one count of furnishing or possessing contraband in a county or municipal jail, according to a news release.

“We were asked by the detention center director to investigate the possibility that contraband was being brought in,” said Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell. “That investigation led to a correctional officer being charged.”

In mid-to-late June, Izlar told investigators that she’d transported cellphones and illegal narcotics into the jail while working as a correctional officer, according to an arrest warrant.

The investigation was spurred by a tip on Monday that narcotics were making their way into the jail.

A search of Izlar’s vehicle uncovered a quantity of marijuana and a cellphone, according to investigators.

Izlar faces from one to 10 years in prison if convicted.