Guard at SC jail arrested, charged with having sex with inmate

A detention officer at a Midlands jail is behind bars himself after being arrested and charged with having sex with an inmate he was tasked with guarding.

Kionte’ Willis Hayes, 24, was charged with misconduct in office by the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division on Thursday.

Hayes was a detention officer at the Kershaw County Detention Center. Warrants allege that Hayes had sex with an inmate inside the county jail on Sept. 8, 2022, according to an arrest warrant. Investigators used surveillance footage to substantiate the allegation, along with statements from the victim and witnesses, the warrant states.

SLED investigated the allegations at the request of the Camden Police Department. After his arrest, Hayes was booked into the same Kershaw County Detention Center he was previously tasked with guarding, SLED said in a news release announcing his arrest.

Bristow Marchant

The State

803-771-8405

Bristow Marchant covers local government, schools and community in Lexington County for The State. He graduated from the College of Charleston in 2007. He has almost 20 years of experience covering South Carolina at the Clinton Chronicle, Sumter Item and Rock Hill Herald. He joined The State in 2016. Bristow has won numerous awards, most recently the S.C. Press Association’s 2024 education reporting award.  Support my work with a digital subscription