COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina authorities have arrested two former corrections staff members and an ex-inmate on charges including criminal conspiracy, sexual misconduct, and contraband smuggling.
Antoinette Briana Crawley, 33, a former nurse assistant at Lee Correctional Institution, faces charges of criminal conspiracy, providing contraband to an inmate, and first-degree sexual misconduct. Officials say she had a sexual relationship with an inmate from August 2023 to October 2024 and supplied him with narcotics, SIM cards, THC gummies, and unauthorized clothing. Crawley resigned in January before the investigation concluded.
Shontell Patrice Gamble, 31, a former corrections officer at Turbeville Correctional Institution, has been charged with misconduct in office and an ethics violation for allegedly accepting bribes from an inmate via Cash App while using an illegal cell phone. She was later dismissed from her position.
Quinzell Robinson, 46, a former inmate from Sumter, SC, was charged with operating a drone near a prison, attempting to furnish contraband to inmates, criminal conspiracy, and resisting arrest. Authorities say he attempted to smuggle contraband into Lieber Correctional Institution using a drone, but the package fell into the woods before reaching the facility.
These arrests come a day after Kevin Leroy Howard, 37, a former corrections officer, pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamines, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, misconduct in office, and providing contraband to inmates. He was sentenced to four years in prison for attempting to smuggle drugs inside Tyger River Correctional Institution in July 2023.
Additionally, two ex-officers from McCormick Correctional Institution, Dontai D. Parks and Brandon C. Taylor, pleaded guilty to misconduct in office for drug trafficking. Both received seven-year sentences, suspended after five years of probation.
