Did error by Lexington jail allow Federico killer to be free at time of murder?
The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department has responded to accusations that holes discovered in the criminal past of the man accused of killing Logan Federico stemmed from documentation errors at the county jail.
Following an exchange between Congressman Ralph Norman and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel, where Norman insinuated that SLED was responsible for Alexander Dickey having the opportunity to kill Federico during a home burglary in May, Keel pointed to an error by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. The mishap, according to Keel, involved the department failing to re-enter Dickey’s fingerprints after he was served with additional criminal charges while still incarcerated at the Lexington County Detention Center.
Dickey was arrested for grand larceny on Aug. 14, 2014, and was charged, while still incarcerated at the Lexington County Detention Center, with seven additional counts of burglary and larceny, none of which were ever attached to his rap sheet.
Criminal charges can only be attached to a person’s record after their fingerprints are submitted to SLED after each charge, including when they’re incarcerated, according to Keel.
In a statement, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, which oversees the detention center, said it was “unable to determine if [Dickey’s] prints were taken at the time of those additional in-custody bookings in 2014.”
The statement failed to account for the department’s oversight, adding the error could have been caused by a human or machine.
The department said they’re now working with SLED and prosecutors to ensure that Dickey’s 11 bookings at the detention center are accurate.
Current Lexington Sheriff Jay Koon assumed the post in 2015, after the error would have taken place.
