MANSFIELD — The Richland County Sheriff’s Office has suspended two corrections officers and one sergeant without pay after an inmate was mistakenly released from the Richland County Jail on Sept. 4.
Corrections Officers Stephen McDonnell and Christopher Plantz and Sergeant Kenneth Moore were all found to have exhibited gross neglect of duty resulting in the escape of inmate Cornelius Phillips after the result of an internal investigation. Phillips was later arrested in Huntsville, Alabama on Sept. 18 without incident.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, a criminal investigation found that Phillips planned his escape, and Dasia Crutcher helped facilitate it. Phillips worked with fellow inmate Chekiah Washington Jr. to allow Crutcher to post his bond for release.
“Phillips, identified through watching the operations of the jail, observed there were specific time frames to facilitate an escape, using Washington’s identity,” a press release from the Sheriff’s Office stated. “Also, he observed that certain staff were complacent on how they identified inmates to be released.”
When the officer went to the pod to call for Washington to be released, Phillips posed as Washington.
“The officer should have positively identified the inmate before he was escorted down to booking to be processed out,” the Sheriff’s Office stated. “The booking officer should have done the same for the release of the inmate.”
Officer McDonnell went to the housing unit and failed to positively identify the inmate who was to be released. McDonnell was issued a 10-day suspension without pay that starts today.
Officer Plantz was the booking officer who processed Phillips’ release without positively identifying him. Plantz was issued a 20-day suspension without pay that starts today.
Sergeant Moore was the supervisor who failed to supervise McDonnell to assure procedures were being followed. Moore was issued a five-day suspension without pay that starts today.
Following his mistaken release, the Sheriff’s Office issued nationwide warrants for Cornelius Phillips for escape, a second-degree felony, and for Dasia Crutcher and Chekiah Washington Jr. for escape and complicity, a second-degree felony. Washington was arrested on Sept. 10 and is being held in the Richland County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond.
“During the internal affairs investigation as well as the criminal investigation we identified that the weakness or breach in security had everything to do with officers not following policy or established procedures,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “Since this incident, we have put additional security measures in place.”
