Solicitor's office: 'No evidence of criminal wrongdoing' in jail inmate's death

A letter from the 15th Circuit Solicitor's Office says evidence showed no criminal wrongdoing in the death of Christopher Bennett, who was found unresponsive in a J. Reuben Long jail cell in late March.

"I am writing to inform you that based on the information you uncovered there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by individuals working for this agency," Chief Deputy Solicitor Scott Hixon wrote to officials at the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division earlier this month.

There was evidence that Bennett swallowed two bags with drugs during his transportation to the detention center, Hixon wrote.

Bennett was found alone in a jail cell and at the time officials said he suffered an "extremely serious" head injury. But, an autopsy later showed no signs of trauma.

Bennett's family recently spoke out about the lack of information they received in the case.

On March 22, Bennett and Antonio Wilson were stopped on S.C. 548 by Horry County Sheriff’s deputies and members of the 15th Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit. During the stop, Bennett complied with the officers, but Wilson ran into a wooded area. Wilson quickly stopped and was arrested. Police said they could smell marijuana coming from the car and found a half gram of heroin under a rear seat.

That arrest occurred around 8:20 p.m., and Bennett was booked into the jail an hour later. At 10:15 p.m., jail staff said they found Bennett unresponsive.

A pathologist stated Bennett's cause of death as "drug induced cardiac arrhythmia," according to Hixon's letter. A toxicology report also confirmed the presence of several controlled substances in Bennett's system.

The pathologist listed Bennett's injuries as the "loss of tooth and laceration of lip sustain in fall," according to the letter.

Surveillance video showed Bennett looking through his cell door window several times before he collapsed on the floor in an apparent drug-induced seizure-like episode, Hixon wrote. The autopsy also found the plastic baggies in Bennett's stomach.

A co-defendant told someone in a phone conversation that Bennett "ate a bomb" and "he ate too much and is not going to make it," according to the letter.

This story was originally published June 21, 2018 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Solicitor's office: 'No evidence of criminal wrongdoing' in jail inmate's death."