SC man who smuggled drugs in jail to spend life in prison, official says. Here’s why

A South Carolina man is going to prison for the rest of his life after being found guilty of two crimes that normally carry combined maximum punishments of 40 years, should the sentences run consecutively.

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But Nevelle Shabarr Reid was called a “lifelong criminal,” by the 8th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, which said that the 42-year-old from Greenwood had violated South Carolina’s “three strikes” laws with his latest convictions.

At the end of last week’s trial at the Greenwood County Courthouse Reid was found guilty of trafficking fentanyl (4-14 grams, second offense) and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (third offense), the solicitor’s office said in a news release. The conviction was connected to smuggling drugs into the Greenwood County Detention Center, according to the release.

The jury deliberated for just 19 minutes before returning guilty verdicts on both charges, according to the release.

Circuit Judge Frank Addy then sentenced Reid to life in prison — without the possibility of parole — after prosecutors sought the punishment “in consideration of Reid’s extensive criminal record,” the solicitor’s office said.

Criminal history

Reid’s extensive criminal history spans more than two decades and includes multiple serious and violent offenses, according to the release. The crimes include:

• Assault & battery with intent to kill
• Possession with intent to distribute marijuana within proximity of a park or school
• Possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine
• First-degree domestic violence
• Distribution of methamphetamine
• Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine

These prior qualifying convictions subjected him to a sentence of life without the possibility of parole under South Carolina’s recidivist sentencing law, the solicitor’s office said.

The most recent convictions stemmed from a March 17 incident, when Reid repeatedly called 911, “claiming that people in vehicles were following him and that individuals were attempting to poke him with objects through walls,” the solicitor’s office said. Police investigated Reid’s complaints but found no evidence to support what he was saying, according to the release.

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Officers gave Reid a courtesy ride to a motel in an effort to help him settle down and warned him multiple times that he would be arrested if he continued calling 911 without an emergency, the solicitor’s office said. Reid continued making calls and was subsequently arrested, according to the release.

After arriving at the Greenwood County Detention Center, Reid went through an X-ray scanner that alerted jail guards to an object concealed near his groin area, the solicitor’s office said. During a search, jail officers discovered a clear plastic bag concealed between Reid’s buttocks, according to the release.

Reid became combative and refused to comply during the search, but officers ultimately recovered the bag, which contained approximately 5.16 grams of meth and 5.56 grams of fentanyl, the solicitor’s office said.

Additionally, investigators later obtained a recorded jail call in which Reid admitted that he needed to “stop selling drugs,” according to the release. The March incident marked the third time Reid had been caught smuggling drugs into the detention center by concealing them between his buttocks, the solicitor’s office said.

Special Assistant Solicitor Richard Cathcart and Assistant Solicitor Abigail Lodge led the prosecution for the solicitor’s office. Reid represented himself during the trial, according to the release.

“Nevelle Reid has spent more than two decades repeatedly breaking our laws and peddling deadly drugs in our community, so we have no problem with this career criminal spending the rest of his life behind bars,” Solicitor David Stumbo said in the release.