|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A 44-year-old South Carolina man awaiting trial on burglary and drug charges says he was sexually assaulted inside the Lancaster County Detention Center. He’s now suing the county, its food service contractor and one of the company’s employees.
According to a complaint filed on August 19, 2025, detainee Jimmy Garrison was working as a kitchen trustee two years ago when employee Darlene Brown – who works for Aramark, the jail’s food services provider – followed him into a cooler.
Garrison claimed Brown told him she wanted to “see what he was working with,” at which point she allegedly grabbed his genitals through his clothing as he held a box of Kool-Aid beverages.
Afterward, Brown allegedly laughed and left the cooler — proceeding to tell staff and other inmates that Garrison had a “small penis” and questioning why his wife would remained married to him, per the complaint (.pdf). These comments circulated throughout the jail, the complaint added.
Brown also allegedly admitted making the comments to multiple individuals at the jail, per the pleading.
***
Garrison said the incident left him with “severe and permanent injuries” including humiliation, anxiety, depression, and the “loss of enjoyment of life.” He is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages, plus attorney’s fees.
The suit named Lancaster County, Aramark and Brown as defendants. Among its causes of action:
- Negligence and gross negligence against the county under the S.C. Tort Claims Act.
- Negligence, negligent supervision, and negligent retention against Aramark.
- Assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and defamation against Brown.
The filing argued the county failed to protect a detainee in its custody and failed to properly oversee contractors. Aramark, it said, negligently hired and supervised Brown.
The complaint also emphasized that inmates cannot legally consent to sexual activity under South Carolina law — making Brown’s alleged actions inherently unlawful.
Just 74 days after the incident, Garrison pleaded guilty (.pdf) to ten charges — including six counts of second-degree violent burglary, three drug charges, and a habitual traffic offender case. S.C. Circuit Court judge Brian Gibbons imposed a combined sentence of up to ten years, reduced to two years in prison with credit for time served, followed by five years’ probation.
In all, he served less than a year behind bars before being released under supervision.
The Lancaster case shines a light on Aramark, a private food service giant with billions in government contracts nationwide. The company has faced repeated criticism in other states over jail food quality, sanitation problems and staff misconduct. In Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, Aramark lost prison contracts after scandals involving maggots in kitchens, improper staff relationships with inmates and contraband smuggling.
***
RELATED | S.C. JAIL SLAMMED BY JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
***
The Lancaster suit accused Aramark of negligent hiring and supervision — arguing the company failed to train staff and allowed an employee in a position of authority over detainees to engage in sexual misconduct.
If Garrison is successful in pursuing his negligence claims under the S.C. Tort Claims Act, Lancaster County taxpayers — not just Aramark — could be on the hook. The complaint made it clear the county had a duty to supervise outside contractors working inside its jail.
The newly filed civil case could also have unintended consequences via the Streisand effect. Named for the 2003 lawsuit filed by Barbra Streisand to force the removal of an aerial photo of her home, the legal action became far bigger news than the publishing of the photo – which consequently made it far more widely seen.
By filing a public lawsuit over allegations of humiliation, Garrison may have guaranteed the incident is no longer confined to detention-center gossip. It now lives in legal filings, headlines, and Google search results.
In seeking accountability, Garrison may have ensured that the story — and the insult — follows him far longer than his burglary convictions.
***
THE COMPLAINT…
(S.C. Sixth Judicial Circuit)
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Callie Lyons is a relentless investigative journalist, researcher, and author known for exposing hard truths with heart and precision. As a journalist for FITSNews, she dives into high-profile and murky cases—like that of Mica Francis Miller— with fearless resolve and a sharp eye for detail, whether it’s tracking white-collar crime, uncovering religious abuse, or examining the often-bizarre behavior of those who believe they’re above the law.
Callie made waves with her groundbreaking 2007 book Stain-Resistant, Nonstick, Waterproof and Lethal, the first to reveal the dangers of forever chemicals, a story that helped inspire the film Dark Waters and influenced global scientific dialogue. Her work has appeared in numerous documentaries, including Toxic Soup, National Geographic’s Parched: Toxic Waters, and more recently Citizen Sleuth, which examines the complexities of true crime podcasting.
Whether she’s navigating environmental disasters or the darker corners of society, Lyons operates with one guiding belief: “Truth never damages a cause that is just.”
***
WANNA SOUND OFF?
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
1 comment
LOL! In other words, now it is not just inmates and employees that know he has a small weiner, the whole damn country knows! Questions about his sexual preferences might also be raised too; as what inmate would not welcome advances from a female while incarcerated?