Janean Lateefah Dunbar, age 42 of Aiken, was convicted of Misconduct in Office, Furnishing Contraband, and Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute by an Edgefield County jury last week and was sentenced to six (6) years in prison. The sentence was imposed by the Honorable William P. Keesley following the jury trial.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Solicitor Doug Fender of the Solicitor’s Office and it was investigated by the South Carolina Department of Corrections Police Services Division.

Dunbar was formerly employed by the South Carolina Department of Corrections as a Correctional Officer at Trenton Correctional Institution located in Edgefield County. On June 4, 2018, Dunbar was apprehended with multiple contraband packages hidden underneath her duty uniform while entering the facility. Dunbar was in possession of three hundred and eighty-five (385) grams of marijuana, seventy-nine (79) grams of methamphetamine, and tobacco products.

During the trial, jurors heard testimony from Warden Terrie Wallace who described the security measures in place at South Carolina prisons to catch contraband smugglers like Dunbar. Jurors also heard testimony about Dunbar’s inappropriate relationship with an inmate. Text messages between Dunbar and an inmate confirmed the arrangement to bring contraband into the prison. Dunbar was to be paid a thousand dollars for the packages.

During sentencing, Agent Evan Garris with the South Carolina Department of Corrections Police Services expressed to the Court that criminal gangs operate in and outside the prison system making large profits from contraband smuggling operations. The Court also heard from recently retired correctional officer who worked with Dunbar describe the problems that contraband creates inside our prisons, noting that cell phones, weapons, and illegal drugs often lead to violence amongst inmates and toward staff.