Inmate found dead at Richland County detention center identified

An inmate found dead at the Richland County detention center this week has been identified as a 38-year-old Columbia man.

Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said James W. Mitchell was found dead on Wednesday at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

Few details have been released about Mitchell’s death. His attorney told The State on Thursday that he has not been able to get details about what happened inside the troubled jail. While the attorney found out about the death Wednesday, the date of his client’s death is currently unknown.

“I’m actively trying to figure out what happened,” the attorney said. “But I can’t even get the jail to answer a phone call. I’ve called every number I can think of.”

Susan O’Cain, a Richland County spokesperson, said the incident was under investigation by the county.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Wednesday that it was “asked to respond in reference to a death,” according to a department spokesperson. The sheriff’s department emphasized that it was “standard and also common” for the coroner’s office to request deputies respond to the scene of a death.

The Alvin S Glenn Detention Center has been wracked by a series of crises over the past year. Staffing shortages have become a chronic problem at the jail, and in September 2021 a riot broke out at the jail while the facility was understaffed. Two guards were injured.

In February, Lason Butler died of dehydration while in solitary confinement at the jail. Butler was in the midst of a mental health crisis when he was arrested and died after being left unattended for days in the cell. He was found covered in rat bites in a feces-covered cell, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.

The Richland County Coroner’s Office ruled Butler’s death was a homicide.

The Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center has also experienced a number of leadership shakeups. In September, the newly hired director of the jail, Tyrell Cato, was terminated shortly after it was revealed that he had been let go from his previous post running the Kershaw County Detention Center for sexual harassment.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division had not been asked to respond, an agency representative said Wednesday.

This is a breaking news story. Check back here for updates.