Man says he was raped repeatedly by inmates, guard in South Carolina jail

The man was facing a drug charge when beginning on Aug. 26, he says he was sexually assaulted on at least two different occasions by four different perpetrators
Published: Sep. 12, 2023 at 10:13 AM EDT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WHNS/Gray News) - Attorneys for a 21-year-old man being held in a South Carolina jail say he was raped repeatedly by multiple inmates and a detention center guard, WHNS reports.

The man, who was being held at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center while awaiting trial for a drug charge, says beginning on Aug. 26, he was sexually assaulted on at least two different occasions by four different perpetrators.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department did not provide a response to the allegations since they do not comment on pending litigation.

Strom Law Firm is representing the man and multiple other clients in cases involving reports of abuse and neglect at the jail.

“One sexual assault is too many. One time is unacceptable. This young man was subjected to multiple assaults by multiple perpetrators, including an Alvin S. Glenn detention officer.” attorney Bakari Sellers said. “And after the first assault, jail staff returned this young man to the same dorm where the first assault occurred. They literally sent the victim back to the scene of the crime so he could be sexually assaulted again.”

In February, Sellers and his colleague Alexandra Benevento sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice, requesting a federal investigation into issues at the detention center. Benevento called conditions a “war zone” and “hell on earth.”