Richland County’s Alvin S. Glenn jail probe uncovered 62 crimes left unreported since December 2025; seven employees and 17 inmates were arrested. Since the initial arrests were announced, the sheriff’s department has opened at least 154 new cases.
The wider investigation followed the April 7 death of inmate Keith Bagley from a K2/Spice overdose; the jail did not alert the sheriff’s department for nearly 14 hours. The unreported crimes included sexual assault, contraband, riots, vandalism and assaults on inmates and guards. Compliance director James Lipscomb was charged with obstruction of justice; authorities allege he told staff not to contact law enforcement. Two additional guards were arrested in August on charges including money laundering, bribery and sexual misconduct with an inmate.
On Sept. 21, an inmate was hospitalized with head and facial injuries after an assault; four inmates were charged with second-degree assault by mob. A federal civil-rights investigation found at least 60 stabbings at the jail in 2023 and that inmates faced an unreasonable risk of harm. Richland County and Disability Rights SC reached a preliminary settlement in a class action over mental-health care, prompting a judge to pause the case before its scheduled September trial. Separately, the county paid $3.8 million to settle a lawsuit over Lason Butler’s dehydration death.
