Inmate stabbed a guard in the head at prison in Columbia, SC officials say
An inmate at a prison in Columbia was recently arrested after a correctional officer was stabbed in the head, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Ibn Gadson, 28, was charged with attempted murder, assault with a concealed weapon and possession of contraband by a prisoner, the S.C. Department of Corrections said Thursday in a news release.
The attack happened June 13 at Broad River Correctional Institution, arrest warrants show. Gadson was arrested Sept. 5 and had an Oct. 23 bond hearing, Richland County court records show.
The stabbing
Gadson used a “metal homemade knife-type weapon” to stab the victim multiple times, according to arrest warrants. The guard required staples and stitches in the head after being attacked with the contraband weapon, arrest warrants said.
Further information on the victim’s condition was not included in the release.
There was no word about a motive for the stabbing.
The charges were issued after investigators received numerous witness statements, the defendant’s statements, surveillance video of the incident, physical evidence and medical records, according to arrest warrants.
Broad River Correctional Institution is a prison in Richland County on Broad River Road, near the junction with Interstate 20.
It is a male-only close- (high-security) and medium-security facility “designed primarily to house violent offenders with longer sentences, and inmates who exhibit behavioral problems,” according to the S.C. Department of Corrections.
Fatal shooting
In 2017, Gadson pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to felony murder, two counts of armed robbery and first-degree assault & battery charges, Richland County court records show. He was sentenced concurrent prison terms of 15-, 25-, 20- and 10-years, respectively, according to court records.
Those charges stem from a fatal shooting.
Gadson and then-21-year-old Ryan Alston were arrested following the shooting death of 20-year-old Jeremy Davis at the Spinx Gas Station on Lee Road near Hard Scrabble Road, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
In 2017, Alston pleaded guilty to a murder charge and was sentenced 35-years in prison, court records show.
Other criminal offenses
At the same 2017 court appearance where Gasdon pleaded guilty to the charges connected to Davis’ death, the former Eutawville resident also pleaded guilty to a third-degree assault & battery by mob charge from a separate arrest and was given a 1-year prison sentence, court records show.
The 2024 incident was not the first time that Gadson got in trouble while incarcerated.
Also in 2017, Gadson pleaded guilty to a charge of throwing fluids on a correctional officer, according to court records.
Gadson is also facing pending charges from a 2021 arrest when he was locked up at Broad River Correctional Institution and was charged with second-degree assault & battery and carrying or concealing weapon by inmates, court records show.
Timing of hearing
There was a reason for the delay in Gadson’s bond hearing.
“When a currently incarcerated person is charged with a crime, the inmate still must be served with a warrant and be afforded a bond hearing. For scheduling purposes, this happens at (South Carolina Department of Corrections) once a month. These are cases that came up for bond hearings in October,” officials said in the release. “These are criminal charges in circuit court. They are different from disciplinary charges inmates might receive while incarcerated.”
Gadson was not the only Broad River inmate to have a bond hearing in October.
Rickylee Charles Eugene Smith, 36, was charged with five counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, according to the release. The charges involve five child pornography videos found in Smith’s email account at Broad River Correctional Institution, South Carolina Department of Corrections officials said.
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This story was originally published November 14, 2024 at 1:12 PM with the headline "Inmate stabbed a guard in the head at prison in Columbia, SC officials say."
