South Carolina Corrections Officer Arrested for Smuggling Food to Inmates

A correctional officer in South Carolina has been arrested and fired for allegedly smuggling home-cooked meals into the W. Glenn Campbell Detention Center for inmates.

Matrese Grant, a Sergeant Shift Supervisor, was apprehended on September 17 and charged with Misconduct in Office and Furnishing Contraband to inmates. The arrest follows an investigation initiated after her coworkers reported suspicious activity. Grant had reportedly been seen on surveillance cameras on September 7 hiding items under a blanket and placing them in a secured area for inmates to retrieve.

Grant had been employed at the detention center for only four months prior to her termination on September 11. She is currently being held at the facility where she worked, awaiting a bond hearing.

The Darlington County Sheriff's Office enforces a zero-tolerance policy for contraband entering the facility, with a primary concern being the potential for weapons to be smuggled along with other items. A press release from the sheriff's office stated that any individual, whether inmate, employee, or officer, found bringing contraband into the facility will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

This incident marks at least the third arrest linked to a staff member at the W. Glenn Campbell Detention Center since 2025. In June 2025, a former food services employee was detained on charges of introducing contraband. In March 2026, a former correctional officer was arrested for bringing in illegal goods. Additionally, a facility-wide search in January 2025 resulted in 55 warrants against prisoners, and in August 2026, two inmates were implicated in a separate smuggling investigation.