Inmate dies at Lexington County jail, sheriff’s department says
A man who was being held at the Lexington County Detention Center died over the weekend, the sheriff’s department said Monday night.
Charles Carlisle Plumley, 39, died Saturday night, the sheriff’s department said in a news release. At about 8 p.m., he was found in an open pod inside the jail, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher told The State Tuesday.
“Mr. Plumley was in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service while being housed at the Lexington County Detention Center,” Sheriff Jay Koon said in the release. “He was transported to the detention center and booked Feb. 14.”
Information about the federal charges facing Plumley was not available.
There was no word on Plumley’s cause of death, but Fisher said that an autopsy is scheduled on Wednesday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
The coroner said Plumley’s death does not appear to be the result of foul play.
More information could be immediately available after the autopsy, but results of a toxicology exam won’t be available for 4-6 weeks, according to Fisher.
“If it was a medical emergency, we will know Wednesday,” Fisher said.
Along with the coroner’s office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is leading the investigation into Plumley’s death, according to Koon.
The last inmate to die while being held at the detention center was Leon Russell Black, 36, who was found unresponsive in his bunk inside a cell in March 2021.
Plumley was facing pending state charges from an October 2020 arrest, Lexington County court records show. The Gaston resident was charged with five drug crimes, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and possession of firearm or ammunition by person convicted of violent felony, according to court records.
In 2011, Plumley was arrested on a murder charge. He ultimately pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge in May 2014 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, court records show. Plumley was credited for about 3 years of time served when he was sentenced, according to court records.
Former Lexington County Sheriff James Metts said Plumley and another man, who was armed with a handgun, went to a home at 254 Victor Road to rob the occupants of crack cocaine and money, and 64-year-old Leon W. Justice was shot in the head, WIS reported. Metts said that Plumley and the other man had bought drugs at the home prior to the shooting, according to WACH.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREThis is a breaking news story
In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 12:35 PM.
