South Carolina authorities arrested two former corrections staff members and one former inmate Friday on charges ranging from sexual misconduct to conspiracy.
Antoinette Briana Crawley, 33, a former nurse assistant at Lee Correctional Institution has been charged with criminal conspiracy, providing contraband to an inmate and first-degree sexual misconduct, while Shontell Patrice Gamble, 31, a former corrections officer at Turbeville Correctional Institution has been charged with misconduct in office and ethics violation for allegedly accepting a bribe.
A former inmate, Quinzell Robinson, 46, of Sumter, has been charged with operating a drone near a prison, attempting to furnish contraband to prisoners, criminal conspiracy and resisting arrest.
State Department of Corrections officials say Crawley was involved in a sexual relationship with an inmate from August 2023 to October 2024. She allegedly provided the inmate with narcotics, SIM cards, TCH gummies and unapproved clothing items. She resigned in January before an investigation was complete.
Meanwhile, Gamble allegedly communicated with an inmate using an illegal cell phone and accepted money from him on Cash App. Supervisors dismissed her from her post on an unknown date.
Officials say Robinson, the former inmate, tried flying a drone carrying contraband to Lieber Correctional Institution but dropped the package in the woods before the drone could reach the prison.
The arrests come a day after another employee, Kevin Leroy Howard, 37, pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamines, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, misconduct in office and providing contraband to inmates.
He was arrested in July 2023 after officials caught him attempting to bring cylinders filled with drugs into Tyger River Correctional Institution that had been concealed in his dinner.
He’s been sentenced to four years in prison.
In another case this week, two former officers at McCormick Correctional Institution, Dontai D Parks and Brandon C Taylor, pleaded guilty to misconduct in office after being accused of drug trafficking. The men were sentenced to seven years in prison each suspended upon serving five years of probation.
Officials did not provide additional information about the alleged crimes. It’s not clear when Robinson, Crawley and Gamble will appear in court.
“While these arrests are at different institutions and are unrelated, they have one thing in common: If you commit crimes at SCDC, you will be arrested and held accountable,” the department said in a social media post.
