Columbia prison warden arrested, accused of domestic violence against spouse

A warden at a Columbia prison was arrested Monday night and charged with domestic violence.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said officers responded to a report of a domestic situation on Founders Ridge Road around 8:30 p.m. Monday.

They said an argument between spouses had turned physical.

Michael Stephan, 56, was arrested. He was placed on administrative leave without pay from Goodman Correctional Institution in Columbia by the South Carolina Department of Corrections, Lott said in a news release.

“SCDC officials reported that they are in the process of terminating his employment,” the news release said.

Goodman is a minimum security facility for men on Broad River Road.