Illicit drugs brought into Georgetown County Detention Center by weekend inmate may be responsible for 2 overdoses
GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – A woman who was allowed to serve time on weekends for a traffic charge is accused of bringing illicit drugs into the Georgetown County Detention Center which may have resulted in a drug overdose.
The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) announced over the weekend that it was investigating after two inmates were found unresponsive in their cells.
Sheriff Carter Weaver explained that a woman, 45-year-old Kelly Lambert of Andrews, was allowed by the court to serve a sentence on weekends for a traffic charge. She is accused of bringing drugs into the detention center on Friday when she was booked at 5:56 p.m.
“Correctional officers processed her at the booking counter and she was put into population where she came into contact with Alecia Childers and Shelby Ashby,” said Sheriff Weaver.
Childers and Ashby were serving sentences of their own at the detention center. Within two hours, both women were found by correctional officers unresponsive in their cells.
Georgetown County EMS was called to the detention center to help the two women.
Shelby Ashby, 23, was pronounced dead at Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital on Monday while the other, Alecia Childers, 34, has recovered and returned to the detention center.
“I met with her (Ashby) family this morning here at my office and they advised me that she has died as a result of the incident that occurred Friday night,” said Sheriff Weaver.
Sheriff Weaver said he ordered two investigations after the incident on Friday night. One is an administrative investigation to show how anyone could get contraband or an illicit drug into inmate population.
The other is a criminal investigation “to hold any and all persons responsible in this matter,” the sheriff added. He said it would also include any misconduct performed by Detention Center personnel who processed the weekend inmate into the facility.
Lambert remains at Georgetown County Detention Center on charges of furnishing contraband to a county jail and distribution of schedule 1 drugs. Additional charges are pending.
