Two SC juvenile justice workers arrested for ‘improper contact with youth,’ state says
Two South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice officers have been charged with misconduct in office.
Jessica Norton, 39, of Lexington and Ayotunde Roane, 39, of Columbia, were arrested by the department and charged to with misconduct in office, according to a statement issued Friday by the department. Their charges continue a string of arrests of DJJ employees over the past month
In a statement, officials said their charges involve improper contact with youth. Information released by the department did not make it clear what the improper contact was, how many juveniles were involved or the number of incidents.
Both Roane and Norton were suspended during the investigation and ultimately resigned from their positions as juvenile correction officers.
A search of court records and jail logs Saturday did not produce any additional information about charges or whether bond had been set.
Series of charges inside Department of Juvenile Justice
On Wednesday, another DJJ employee, Alexander Howell, was charged with misconduct in office, DJJ officials said in a news release.
An investigation showed that Howell, a 33-year-old Lexington resident, accepted financial payment from youth in the care of DJJ in exchange for contraband, according to the release.
DJJ said that Howell was “dismissed” following the investigation. Information was not available about what Howell specifically sold to the youth. There was no word on when the crime began, or how long it lasted.
On Nov. 8, the department also announced that Alicia J. Johnson, 23, was fired and charged with misconduct in office for providing contraband to inmates.
An investigation showed that Johnson provided juveniles with several vape pens, which are contraband, according to the release. DJJ said that Johnson was “dismissed” following the investigation.
