Juvenile corrections officer fired after stealing from detained youth, SC officials say
A correctional officer at a facility in Columbia was arrested and fired for stealing from a detained youth, the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice said Wednesday.
Shaki Franklin-Johnson, a 26-year-old Irmo resident, was charged with petit larceny ($2,000 or less) and misconduct in office, DJJ said in a news release.
On or around Sept. 24, Franklin-Johnson was working at the DJJ facility on Broad River Road when she removed money from a secured location where the personal property of detained youth is stored, according to the release. Items stored are things a youth had in their possession when brought to the DJJ facility, officials said.
Franklin-Johnson took $670 “without the consent of the owner,” an arrest warrant said.
Video surveillance and witnesses confirmed the theft, according to DJJ.
Franklin-Johnson surrendered to DJJ’s Public Safety Criminal Investigator and was booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, according to the release.
Bond was set at $12,125 on the combined charges and was posted Tuesday, Richland County court records show.
Franklin-Johnson is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 31, according to judicial records.
If convicted on the misdemeanor petit larceny charge, Franklin-Johnson faces a maximum punishment of 30 days in jail or a $1,000 fine, according to South Carolina law.
A conviction on the misconduct in office charge could mean another fine and a maximum punishment of a year in prison, according to South Carolina law.
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This story was originally published October 4, 2023 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Juvenile corrections officer fired after stealing from detained youth, SC officials say."
