Inmate who recently attempted an escape has died at SC prison in Columbia, officials say
An inmate who recently attempted to escape from the South Carolina Department of Corrections died Monday in a prison in Columbia, officials said.
Sean Jarrett Tomsha was found unresponsive in his cell at the Broad River Correctional Institution on Monday night, officials said in a news release. The 31-year-old inmate did not have a cellmate, and his death is being investigated as a suicide, according to the release.
No cause of death has been announced, but officials said that an autopsy will be performed.
Tomsha’s death is being investigated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the Richland County Coroner’s Office and the S.C. Department of Corrections Inspector General’s office.
Tomsha was transferred to the Broad River facility in February, days after the South Carolina Department of Corrections Inspector General publicly identified him as one of 11 inmates named in arrest warrants from the end of 2024 that were related to violent crimes behind bars, officials said.
Tomsha was charged with second-degree assault and battery following a March 7, 2024, incident at Kirkland Correctional Institution, the arrest warrant shows. He also was placed in detention for 30 days and faced other discipline in the form of lost privileges, according to the S.C. Department of Corrections.
In that assault, Tomsha snatched his cellmate off the top bunk and crashed down onto the cement floor, according to the arrest warrant. Tomsha then punched his cellmate in the face, and continued to attack even after the cellmate was unconscious, the arrest warrant said.
The cellmate suffered a fractured cheekbone along with other contusions to his face and remained unconscious for some time, according to the arrest warrant. Further information on the cellmate’s condition was not available.
Tomsha was sent to prison in December 2023 after he pleaded guilty to an assault and battery (of a high and aggravated nature) charge, Spartanburg County court records show. Tomsha was sentenced to serve 8 years in a S.C. Department of Corrections facility, and his projected release date was March 30, 2029, prison records show.
He also pleaded guilty to a third-degree assault and battery charge connected to the same Jan. 1, 2022 arrest, but was credited for time served on that count, according to court records.
During Tomsha’s Feb. 10 transfer to the Broad River facility, he attempted to escape from a van while it was driving on Interstate 26, S.C. Department of Corrections officials said.
Tomsha caused damage to the van, and even stuck his head out, but he did not escape, according to S.C. Department of Corrections officials. The incident happened on a stretch of I-26 that runs through West Columbia as Tomsha was being moved from Lieber Correctional Institution in Ridgeville to Broad River Correctional Institution, officials said.
The 5-foot-11, 225-pound Tomsha kicked the glass out of a window and broke the hinges on the van door, according to officials. The vehicle didn’t suffer any other obvious damage, officials said.
Tomsha was subdued by S.C. Department of Corrections officers, along with West Columbia Police Department officers who responded to a call for assistance, according to officials. Members of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department also provided assistance to S.C. Department of Corrections officers.
No one was injured and the public was not in danger, officials said.
Tomsha was secured in Broad River Correctional Institution by the night of Feb. 10, according to officials. He was expected to face charges connected to the attempted escape.
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