Detention center officers arrested for administering electric shocks, beating inmate, says SLED
Two corrections officers at the Laurens County Detention Center have been charged with beating and shocking an inmate with an electrified glove in two separate attacks, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
Randall James Sammons and Steven Chad Wix were charged Thursday with third degree assault and battery and misconduct in office for brutalizing a Laurens County inmate, according to a statement issued by SLED.
On April 21, Wix allegedly instigated a confrontation with the unnamed inmate inside of the Laurens County jail, according to the arrest warrant. Wix, 31, then repeatedly punched the inmate.
In a second incident, Sammons, 43, used a wearable G.L.O.V.E. stun device to repeatedly shock the inmate, according to the warrant.
The Laurens County sheriff requested that SLED investigate the incidents, which were caught on body camera.
The G.L.O.V.E., sold by Compliant Technologies, is a wearable, battery powered glove that emits an electric shock on contact. The device is marketed to law enforcement agencies as a non-lethal “force multiplier.” While significantly weaker than a Taser, the G.L.O.V.E. is described as a “de-escalation tool” capable of delivering a 320V shock on contact.
The case is being prosecuted by the state Attorney General’s Office. Both Wix and Sammons were booked at the Laurens County Detention Center.
