CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, S.C. — The director of the Chesterfield County Detention Center has been removed by Sheriff Cambo Streater amid a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigation into the recent death of an inmate.
According to a social media post from the sheriff’s office, upon notification of the inmate death on July 24, 2026, Streater immediately notified SLED and requested an independent investigation.
[ READ MORE >> SLED investigates death of inmate at Chesterfield County Detention Center ]
Since then, he says he’s made several changes to address the operations and oversight at the detention center, including removing the jail’s director and appointing an interim director.
Streater said the search for a new director is currently underway.
“We’re transparent, and we want the public to know that we will fix what we can fix,” Streater said. “And if it means letting people go, we’ll let people go.”
He’s also requested assistance from the South Carolina Department of Corrections with process and policy development, along with an assessment of jail practices by the South Carolina Association of Counties, Streater said.
“If we need to change, change some things, we’ll change what we have to change to make it make it better,” the sheriff said.
SLED said it is still investigating the circumstances surrounding the inmate’s death.
Streater said internal personnel decisions related to the incident will be made after the investigation has been completed.
Channel 9 has reported about inmates busting down doors and jumping out of windows to break out of the jail that was built in the 1970s.
[ READ MORE: Authorities catch remaining inmates after escape from Chesterfield County ]
A new jail could have helped prevent the incident in July, the sheriff said.
“The facility itself is a contributing factor to some of the issues we’ve had over there. It’s not totally to blame, but it is a contributing factor,” Streater said.
Channel 9’s Tina Terry asked elected officials on Wednesday if council should accept some responsibility for the current conditions at the jail.
Councilman Ethan Foard called the situation a crisis.
“And when you have elected officials, such as myself, who do have a say-so in financing and funding and things like that, I think everyone has failed in this situation,” Foard said.
He said council has the land and will put a bond referendum on the ballot in November to build a $50 million jail.
“It’s not a need, it is a must,” Foard said.
Foard said that referendum question would allow voters to support a penny sales tax. If they don’t support that, he said council will raise property taxes to pay for a new jail.