WINNSBORO – In late December, County Administrator Vic Carpenter announced that the county had been verbally notified it would be fined $55,000 by the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy for staffing violations at the Fairfield County Detention Center. During Monday night’s county council meeting, Carpenter announced other consequences for the violations, including the termination of key Detention Center employees.
“On Monday, Jan. 5, the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy formally levied a fine and probation against Fairfield County regarding the training status at the Detention Center of some employees,” Carpenter said from the dais, “On Wednesday, Jan. 7, the [Detention Center] director, deputy director, and training captain were terminated. No other staffing changes were planned.”
The Criminal Justice Academy’s notification stated: “[The County] shall pay a civil penalty of $1,071,770.00 for being out of compliance with SC Code of Laws Section 23-23-40 and SC Code of Regulations 37-022, of which $1,016,770.00 is suspended upon immediate payment of $55,000.00 and successful completion of two years’ probation, quarterly audits performed by CJA, and Captain Artis successfully attending and completing Training Manager Development course at CJA. Payment shall be made within thirty (30) days of this order to the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. Failure to pay within thirty (30) days of this order will result in further action against the [County].”
“The county’s Community and Public Services Director Joey Price has assumed the role of acting director and a major effort to find a replacement has already begun,” Carpenter said. “It is the commitment of Fairfield County that its Detention Center will always be run in a fashion and manner that are always compliant with state and federal regulations and the law. And that it be run in a fashion that brings credit and comfort to our citizens.”
Carpenter said in December that the county had been placed on a two-year probationary period, and that it could potentially receive up to a $1M fine, all for the same offense.
“So, if, during that two years, we don’t take care of business as we should, we could get some kind of fine,” he said. “If we get past two years with no further problems, then there will be no fine beyond the $55,000.”
Carpenter said the violations were caused mostly by unfiled paperwork.
“When we got right down to it, the county just had not filed employee paperwork correctly or in a timely fashion,” he said. “Now the paperwork has been filed for those individuals.”