Corrections Officer Jailed at Her Own Workplace After Allegedly Smuggling Home-Cooked Food to Inmates

A former corrections officer found herself on the other side of the prison bars after allegedly being caught smuggling contraband to inmates.

On Thursday, September 17, the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina issued a press release announcing charges brought against Sergeant Shift Supervisor Matrese Grant for misconduct in office and furnishing contraband to inmates. She was allegedly caught on security camera bringing items to her workplace at the W. Glenn Campbell Detention Center and hiding them under a blanket. She took the bundle to a restricted area of the prison where an inmate could retrieve it.

It was later discovered that the bundle contained home-cooked food items, which are not permitted as part of the detention center’s zero-tolerance policy on contraband.

“Sheriff Michael August stands firm on his zero tolerance policy for contraband entering this facility,” the press release reads. “There are strict rules in place for contraband, including food items, due to the possibility of weapons or other harmful materials being hidden within food items. If any inmate, employee, or officer, is discovered bringing contraband into this facility, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Grant was fired from her position on September 17 and was charged the same day. As a result, she was an inmate at the same detention center she previously worked in while she awaited her bond hearing.

The Sheriff’s Office stated that she has since been granted a cash or surety bond totaling $15,000 for both of her charges. It’s unclear at this time if she has entered a plea.