YORK COUNTY, S.C. — Former York County detention officer Jerome Alfonzo Taylor was sentenced to 90 days in jail for misconduct in office involving sexual acts with a female inmate while on duty in 2020.
Taylor, 46, received 18 months’ probation for second-degree assault and battery as part of a plea deal, which reduced the original charge of sexual misconduct with an inmate.
“Being an officer you get trained from day one about sexual misconduct,” said John Hicks, the jail administrator under Sheriff Tony Breeden. “Officers know what consequences can happen with sexual contact with an inmate.”
The incident occurred at the York County jail, where detention officers are responsible for processing and guarding inmates, according to the Herald.
Surveillance cameras cover much of the jail, and some of Taylor’s actions were caught on camera.
After sentencing, Taylor was taken into a courtroom holding cell and then booked into the same jail where he once worked. Investigators from the State Law Enforcement Division arrested Taylor in 2022, and his DNA was found in the woman’s cell, according to prosecutor Grace Kerley.
Kerley, from Spartanburg, handled the case to avoid a conflict of interest with York County prosecutors who work with jail officials. The Herald does not name victims of sex crimes.
John Hicks emphasized the importance of jail time for public trust, stating that too often officers caught in crimes receive only probation.
“An active prison sentence sends a message to the public that sex acts by detention officers will not be tolerated,” Hicks said.
Criminal charges remain pending against a second detention officer arrested two weeks before Taylor in 2022 on sex allegations involving the same woman.
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