Richland County jail administrator Tyrell Cato fired

Tyrell Cato was fired from his position as head of the Richland County jail on September 9, according to paperwork filed with the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy.

Cato was brought on in June to lead the embattled Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, but soon found himself under fire when it emerged that he had been terminated from his last job in Kershaw County following allegations of sexual harassment.

The reason given for Cato’s most recent termination on the academy forms was “failure to complete probationary period successful[sic].”

Cato was fired after “an internal review” by the county administrator, Leonardo Brown, said county spokesperson Susan O’Cain. Brown has not spoken to The State about the issue directly, and forwarded a request made to him for information to O’Cain Wednesday.

The Richland County Council met in executive session regarding the jail Tuesday night. When they left the brief, closed door meeting, council members made no announcement regarding Cato. When asked after the council meeting if Cato was still employed by county, Brown said that he did not normally comment on personnel matters.

O’Cain said she could not provide any details on how long that internal review took or what it entailed, saying the county does not discuss personnel matters.

Tyrell Cato took over the Richland County jail in June, shortly after he was fired from the Kershaw County Detention Center for “sexual misconduct in the workplace,” according to documents. A Kershaw County grievance committee upheld Cato’s termination, and determined that he had sexually harassed at least one woman who worked in his office.

Despite being terminated by Kershaw County in May, Cato went on to take the job running the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County.

Richland County hired Cato without checking with either Kershaw County or the state Criminal Justice Academy, which keeps employment records on law enforcement employees in South Carolina, including those at detention centers.

But even if Richland County had looked into Cato’s record at the Criminal Justice Academy before he was hired, there would have been no indication that Kershaw County fired him. That’s because Ervin Whack, the lieutenant of administration at the Kershaw jail, filed paperwork saying that Cato had left voluntarily.

Whack had been terminated two years earlier for fraternization after he was accused of sexual harassment, The State previously reported. But he was reinstated when it was determined that the Kershaw jail did not have a policy against relationships between employees and their supervisors.

The same employee who accused Whack also sent reports to the head of the jail and the county administrator describing a toxic work environment that the employee said Cato fostered.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has confirmed it is investigating “allegations of official misconduct involving former Kershaw County Detention Center Director Tyrell Cato.” The investigation was requested on July 30 by Kershaw County Administrator Danny Templar.

“The investigation is active and ongoing,” said Renée Wunderlich, a SLED spokesperson.

Ongoing Problems at Richland County Jail

Richland County’s Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center has been under scrutiny for more than a year because of severe under-staffing, violence inside the jail and reports of poor conditions for detainees.

The detention center’s longtime director, Ronaldo Myers, resigned September 2021 following a riot that injured two corrections officers. The position had not been permanently filled until Cato was hired.

While the jail was under an interim administrator, three detainees died over three months. One of those detainees, 27-year-old Lason Butler, died in February from dehydration, and his death was ruled a homicide by Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford.

Butler died after not receiving care during a mental health crisis. He was found to be severely dehydrated and covered in rat bites. His family allege that they were denied access to him and nurses were turned away from this cell. Butler’s family is now suing the jail.