Ex-York County jailer charged with inmate sexual misconduct: 2nd arrest in 2 weeks
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.
The arrest of a former worker at the Moss Justice Center in York is the second by the State Law Enforcement Division in the past two weeks.
Jerome Alfonzo Taylor, 43, was charged Thursday with first-degree sexual misconduct with an inmate, and misconduct in office, police and court documents show.
Arrest warrants served by SLED allege Taylor had oral sex with an inmate in November 2020. The arrest was made with evidence that includes video surveillance, warrants state.
Taylor, whom SLED said in a written release was from Rock Hill, was booked Thursday into the York County jail where he formerly worked. The warrants say Taylor was working as a detention officer at the jail in November 2020 at the time of the incidents.
The first-degree sexual misconduct with an inmate charge is a felony that carries up to 10 years for a conviction under South Carolina law. Misconduct charge carries up to a year in prison for a conviction.
South Carolina court documents show Taylor was released from jail after an initial court hearing on $12,000 bail. Court documents do not list a lawyer for Taylor.
Taylor was terminated on Dec. 1, 2020, after the allegations were made, said Cpl. Johnathan Gilbert, spokesman for the York County Sheriff’s Office.
York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson said in a statement released by the sheriff’s office to The Herald Friday that the allegations are disturbing.
“The sheriff’s office is comprised of over 400 employees that strive to embody our core values of respect, integrity, and professionalism,” the statement said. “This should not reflect on the hundreds that protect and serve this community while adhering to the core values of the sheriff’s office.”
Taylor had worked at the detention center for more than two years before he was terminated, Gilbert said.
SLED was asked by the York sheriff’s office to investigate.
On Aug. 15, another former jail worker was charged with misconduct and second-degree sexual misconduct with an inmate from an incident in the same 2020 time frame, records show.
Officials have not said if the incidents are related.
Both cases will be prosecuted by the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, which covers Spartanburg and Cherokee counties, SLED officials said.
The York County detention center is operated by the sheriff’s office, officials said. In South Carolina, each sheriff in all 46 counties operates a county jail.
