COLUMBIA — Former jail director Tyrell Cato told a top Richland County official he had been fired from his last job before he started in his new position this summer, Cato's attorney said.
That contradicts Richland County Administrator Leonardo Brown, who said he did not know about Cato's termination from Kershaw County for allegations of sexual misconduct until July 26, three weeks after Cato had started work at the Columbia jail.
Brown fired Cato on Sept. 9 because Cato was not forthcoming and honest with him about his previous firing, according to the termination letter obtained by The Post and Courier.
"I have doubts as to whether I can trust you to voluntarily, without specific and detailed prompting, keep me fully abreast of critical information that may cause harm to Richland County Government, regardless of the personal implications that it may have for your employment status," Brown wrote. "I need to be able to trust the people that I have in department leadership positions."
No one from Richland County conducted a background check on Cato until weeks after he was fired, which has prompted an investigation from a state agency.
Cato denied allegations of sexual misconduct that led to his firing from his previous job in Kershaw County on May 24. A grievance committee unanimously upheld his termination June 30.
That same day, he received a call from Assistant Richland County Administrator John Thompson, said Elizabeth Bowen, Cato's attorney. Thompson asked about rumors Cato had been fired, and Cato confirmed them but denied the allegations of sexual misconduct.
The termination letter referenced a conversation between Thompson and Cato prior to Cato's hiring but did not say what they discussed or when it took place.
Brown said Oct. 4 he did not know what was said in that conversation because he did not take part. He declined to say whether Thompson knew about Cato's firing.
"It's just not relevant, because he reports to the county administrator," Brown said.
Cato began working at the troubled Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County on July 5.
When Brown announced Cato's hiring at a July 19 County Council meeting, Brown said Cato was the right person to fix the litany of issues the jail has been facing, including staffing shortages and two federal lawsuits over conditions at the facility.
County Council Chairman Overture Walker received an anonymous letter a week later saying Cato had been fired from Kershaw County. Walker said passed it along to Brown.
That same day, three weeks after Cato started work, Richland County requested Cato's file from the state Criminal Justice Academy, which oversees law enforcement.
At that point, Cato's training history incorrectly stated he had resigned from his job in Kershaw. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating how this happened.
During a meeting July 27, Brown said Cato told him for the first time that he had been fired from Kershaw County.
As part of an investigation, Brown placed Cato on unpaid administrative leave Aug. 20, according to a letter obtained by The Post and Courier.
A Richland County representative called Kershaw County to ask about Cato for the first time Aug. 23, Kershaw County Administrator Danny Templar said.
When asked why he did not call sooner, Brown pointed to Templar saying previously he wasn't surprised not to receive a call from Richland County initially because Cato had a good reputation in the law enforcement community.
"Even in the face of these allegations, I think you will find that some people were communicating that this guy was good at what he did and he was a good director and all that kind of stuff," Brown said.
Richland County submitted a completed background check to the Criminal Justice Academy on Aug. 31, nearly two months after Cato started working and 11 days into his administrative leave.
The Law Enforcement Training Council requires all agencies get references from a law enforcement official to complete a background check, which includes calling a representative of the job candidate's previous employer.
The Criminal Justice Academy is investigating whether Richland County failed to follow proper procedures when hiring Cato.
After Brown fired Cato on Sept. 9, the former jail director submitted a grievance request, which the county administrator denied, Bowen said.
The Post and Courier's initial request for Cato's letter of termination under the Freedom of Information Act was denied Sept. 21 because the county said there were "no responsive documents."
After being told the letter existed Oct. 4, the Richland County Ombudsman's Office, which handles records requests, said the original response was an error and provided the document.
Assistant Director Crayman Harvey, a former S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice officer who started working for Richland County in August under Cato, is serving as the jail's interim director.
Cato was hired to head a jail already rife with issues.
His predecessor, Ronaldo Myers, left his position as jail director in September 2021 after emails showed he was on unapproved leave during a riot that injured two officers and resulted in charges for a dozen inmates. Richland County stepped up its security measures following the riot.
An inspection that same month found the jail understaffed and overcrowded. Since then, the county has frozen 50 positions and upped its base pay to $40,000 per year.
An inmate, Lason Butler, died in February after complications of acute dehydration, determined to be a homicide, County Coroner Naida Rutherford said in April. The decision was based on the belief that inaction on the behalf of the jail staff led to Butler’s death and doesn’t necessarily require intent, Rutherford noted.
Butler should have received “hydration therapy” before his death Feb. 11, she said. A federal lawsuit filed in August alleges staff also denied him medical care and left him in filthy conditions.
Another federal lawsuit, filed in April, makes similar allegations, claiming the special unit where the jail houses mentally ill inmates is full of mold, pests and standing water.
Clarification: This story was updated to reflect that the death of Richland County inmate Lason Butler in February was ruled a homicide based on inaction by jail staff, according to Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford.
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