SC inmate found dead at maximum security prison, coroner says

A man is dead after serving time in a South Carolina prison, according to a statement from the Dorchester County Coroner’s Office.

Derrick Lamount Furtick died Monday at about 9 p.m. at Lieber Correctional Institution, according to S.C. Department of Corrections spokesman Dexter Lee.

His cause of death has not been identified, and he was taken to Newberry Pathology for an autopsy, according to the statement.

Furtick was serving a 30-year sentence at the facility for kidnapping, according to SCDC records. Lieber Correctional is a maximum security facility located in Ridgeville.

He was initially arrested and tried after witnesses saw him dragging a woman across a neighborhood yard, the Times & Democrat reported. The woman yelled out that she was being kidnapped, according to the newspaper.

When deputies arrived, a 10-year-old boy was trying to save the woman. Furtick was taken to a local hospital by deputies who believe he was under the influence of something, according to the Times & Democrat.

Furtick’s death is being investigated by the SCDC Police Services division, the S.C. Law Enforcement Division and the Dorchester County Coroner’s Office.

This story was originally published November 14, 2018 at 11:26 AM.