SC prison known for catching employees breaking law busts NC man, officials say

A North Carolina man was arrested for attempting to smuggle contraband into a prison in the Palmetto State, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

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On Tuesday, Jody Lynn Robinson Jr., was charged with furnishing prisoners with contraband and criminal conspiracy, the S.C. Department of Corrections said in a news release.

The 35-year-old Statesville, North Carolina resident was working as a contractor at Wateree River Correctional Institution, according to the release. The minimum security men’s-only prison is in the Rembert area of Sumter County.

On July 22, Robinson attempted to hide 6 pounds of tobacco, rolling papers and a cellphone in his vehicle as he entered the prison’s front gate, arrest warrants show. A police dog working at the prison alerted, prompting a search, according to the arrest warrants.

Robinson also confessed to the crimes, the arrest warrants said.

Robinson was conspiring to smuggle the contraband to three inmates at the prison, according to the arrest warrants.

Bond was set at $3,000 on the combined charges and posted the day after Robinson was arrested, Sumter County court records show.

Similar charges, same prison

This was not the first time this year that someone working at Wateree River Correctional Institution was arrested for attempting to smuggle contraband into the prison.

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On July 17, a Columbia woman who worked as a guard at the prison was arrested for having a sexual relationship with an inmate and helping him smuggle contraband into Wateree River Correctional Institution, according to the S.C. Department of Corrections.

Jazmin Alexis Teas, 25, was charged with first-degree sexual misconduct with an inmate, criminal conspiracy and misconduct in office, the S.C. Department of Corrections said. Teas also was fired.

Earlier in 2026, another guard who worked at Wateree River Correctional Institution was fired for having sex with an inmate at the prison as well as other charges. On Feb. 26, Zoe Maple was charged with providing prisoners contraband, dissemination of obscenity and misconduct in office, The State previously reported.

Maple engaged in a romantic relationship with an inmate while providing obscene material of herself via cell phone transmissions, according to an arrest warrant. Maple also conspired to furnish the inmate with alcohol inside the prison, The State reported.

Maple resigned from her job at the prison.