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A former corrections deputy is en route to the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) – where he will serve a decade in prison for sexually assaulting multiple inmates and coworkers (unless parole shortens his term of incarceration).
Avery Richard Smith, a former Berkeley County Detention Deputy, pleaded guilty Tuesday to four counts of first-degree assault and battery, five counts of third-degree assault and battery and two counts of misconduct in office, according to judicial records.
He was handed the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison by S.C. Circuit Court Judge Roger M. Young.
Just one year earlier, Smith stood in a green and yellow detention center uniform — proudly accepting his 2023 Detention Deputy of the Year award for “exemplary performance” at the Hill-Finklea Detention Center in Berkeley County, S.C.
But Smith, the son of Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) Lieutenant Damien Smith, failed to uphold the family legacy. According to records from the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy (SCCJA), the 23-year-old resigned from his short-lived position on June 19, 2024.
But not before leaving behind a trail of victims.
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His abrupt departure from law enforcement came just days after agents of the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) were called in at the request of Sheriff S. Duane Lewis to investigate allegations of an assault committed by a staff member inside Hill-Finklea.
A female inmate identified Smith as her attacker, accusing him of pulling her into a room with no cameras and pressuring her for sex. When she refused, he escorted her back to the booking area—but not before forcing her hands onto his genitals in the hallway, according to prosecutors.
Almost immediately, eight more women came forward with similar allegations against Smith. According to Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett A. Wilson, he “grabbed their breasts and buttocks, pushed them against walls, rubbed his body on them, grabbed them from behind, kissed them, and put his hands on their necks.”
Prosecutors and probable cause affidavits further allege that Smith preyed on at least one female subordinate, coercing her into “vaginal and oral sex” by threatening to withhold her training approvals unless she complied.
Witness statements and surveillance footage purportedly revealed a pattern of abuse dating back to the start of Smith’s career in 2022—exposing his frequent use of sexually explicit and profane language while detailing the acts he intended to commit, according to prosecutors.
But he wasn’t the only one forced out of the detention center.
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Within 24 hours of Smith resigning from Hill-Finklea, two of his supervisors were fired. Probable cause affidavits allege—and prosecutors maintain—that former Sergeant Christopher Dozier and former Lieutenant Frankie Snider failed to act on victims’ reports of abuse.
One of 13 arrest warrants signed by County Magistrate Martin Housand last June alleged that Dozier witnessed an assault – only to later laugh and joke about it. In another instance, a victim reported Smith’s attack to Dozier, but he allegedly failed to act.
As a result, SLED charged Dozier—the brother of former BCSO Deputy Ronitto Dozier—and Snider, a senior pastor at a church in Northwoods Mall, with two counts of misconduct in office. Both were booked into Hill-Finklea with Smith.
“Their charges are pending, and they remain innocent until proven guilty,” noted prosecutors.
However, SLED investigators uncovered multiple jail surveillance videos that corroborated key parts of the victims’ accounts. In at least one video, per Wilson, both of Smith’s supervisors were present while the assaults took place.
“I applaud Sheriff Lewis, who acted swiftly upon the victims’ complaints once he learned of them,” noted Wilson after Smith’s sentencing. “That, coupled with the judge’s maximum sentence, delivers meaningful vindication for the victims who suffered at the hands of a serial harasser.”
This story may be updated.
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THE RELEASE…
(S.C. Ninth Judicial Circuit)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
(Dynal Nolan/FITSNews)
Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy award-winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. Cut from a bloodline of outlaws and lawmen alike, he was the first of his family to graduate college which was accomplished with honors. Got a story idea or news tip for Andy? Email him directly and connect with him socially across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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