New Richland County jail director fired from last job for sexual misconduct, records say

The new director of Richland County’s Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center was fired from his previous job for “sexual misconduct in the workplace,” documents obtained by The State show.

Tyrell Cato, the former director of the Kershaw County Detention Center, assumed his new role as the head of Richland’s troubled jail a month after being terminated, according to the documents obtained from Kershaw County. He was terminated after a female employee who worked in his office accused him of harassment.

Cato, who Richland County Councilman Bill Malinowski once described as “the right man for the job,” was brought on to lead the Richland County jail, which has been beset by violence, inmate deaths, staffing shortages, and federal lawsuits.

In allegations made to Kershaw’s Department of Human Resources and upheld by the Kershaw County Grievance Committee, the unnamed employee accused Cato of propositioning her for a relationship, making repeated sexual remarks and, on one occasion, using a hug as an opportunity to smell her hair.

The State was unable to contact Cato for comment.

While the documents indicate that the conduct took place in March, the administration didn’t learn about it until the middle of May when the victim’s colleague informed Leigh Hughes, Kershaw County’s human resource manager.

Cato was put on unpaid leave starting May 13 and was terminated following an investigation on May 24, according the records. At a June 28 hearing, the Kershaw County Grievance Committee unanimously upheld Cato’s termination. Cato was informed of the grievance committee’s decision by Interim Kershaw County Administrator Danny Templar in a letter dated July 14, approximately two weeks after he started at the Richland County jail.

The Post and Courier reported that Richland County Administrator Leonardo Brown said that he was not aware of Cato’s firing during the hiring process, which took place in April.

Richland County Council Chair Overture Walker declined to comment to The State on Cato’s dismissal, saying it was a personnel matter.

“We did not proactively contact anybody,” said Templar, who told The State that they were unaware that Cato was taking the job in Richland County.

In a handwritten statement provided to the Grievance Committee and obtained by The State, Cato characterized the employee as making passes at him. The statement included a timeline of events and texts indicating their working relationship was normal. He also submitted several letters attesting to his professionalism and good relations with staff.

Cato spent ten years at the Kershaw County Detention Center, including three years as the jail’s director, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to working at the Kershaw jail, Cato was a corporal in the Camden Police Department and worked as a corrections officer. In addition to his bachelor’s degree, he holds masters in Criminal Justice and Corrections and Executive Leadership from Liberty University.

Struggles at Richland County jail

Richland County’s jail has faced multiple crises during the last year. The circumstances of Cato’s firing adds to the mounting challenges for the embattled Richland County jail, which has struggled to retain leadership and staff.

Ronaldo Myers, the longtime head of the detention facility left his position in September following an inmate riot that took place while he was on unscheduled leave. A dozen inmates were charged in the riot, which injured two officers.

His interim successor, Shane Kitchen, left earlier this year to take a position at the YorkCounty Detention Center. Kitchen was succeeded as acting director by Capt. Washava Moye.

In 2022, three inmates died at the jail within two months. In February, inmate Lason Butler died of dehydration after being arrested on a misdemeanor charge. The Richland County Coroner’s Office determined that the death was a homicide.

“But for [the jail staff’s] lack of action, he would be alive,” Coroner Naida Rutherford said about Butler’s death at the time.

In a lawsuit filed in federal court this April, a disability rights group alleged a pattern of mistreatment towards detainees with mental illnesses. Employees routinely misused restraints, used shower stalls as cells, and left detainees in unsupervised solitary confinement, the lawsuit alleges.

In an effort to correct the short staffing that has been blamed for many of the jail’s problems, Richland County has raised the starting salary corrections officers to $40,000.