A prison officer accused of smuggling home-cooked meals in to inmates has been fired, arrested and even booked into the very jail where she worked.
Matrese Grant allegedly hid the food beneath a blanket to avoid security cameras at the W. Glenn Campbell Detention Center in South Carolina.
She was subsequently dismissed from her role and taken into custody over the allegations.
Grant worked as a sergeant and shift supervisor at the jail in Darlington County. She had reportedly joined its staff only four months earlier.
The alleged delivery service was uncovered after another officer noticed unauthorised items entering the facility earlier this month. The matter was reported to the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials say that Grant was found giving home-cooked meals to inmates on September 7. She allegedly concealed the items beneath a blanket in an attempt to evade cameras.
Grant is also accused of placing the food in a secure location where prisoners could later retrieve it.
The activity was reported on September 9 and Grant was suspended without pay two days later. She was later dismissed following an investigation into her alleged culinary sideline.
Matrese was arrested on September 17 and charged with misconduct in office and furnishing contraband to inmates. The allegations have not been tested in court.
In a rather awkward move, Grant was booked into the same detention centre where she had supervised prisoners, WRDW reports.
The sheriff’s office said Grant was subsequently granted a $15,000 cash or surety bond covering both charges.
The sheriff’s office said that food brought into the jail without permission was treated as contraband because it could present a security risk. Officials cited the possibility of weapons or other dangerous materials being concealed inside it as being the real problem.
Authorities have not publicly accused Grant of placing any weapon or harmful object inside the meals. The announced charges concern the alleged unauthorised food deliveries rather than anything dangerous or harmful object. Grant was nevertheless dismissed and arrested.
The sheriff’s office said: ‘Sheriff Michael August stands firm on his zero tolerance policy for contraband entering this facility. There are strict rules in place for contraband, including food items, due to the possibility of weapons or other harmful materials being hidden within food items.’
Officials warned that the rules applied to both prisoners and staff alike. The statement added: ‘If any inmate, employee, or officer is discovered bringing contraband into this facility, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.’
And it appears as if that’s not an empty threat.
Grant is by no means the first employee or contractor connected to the detention centre to be arrested for flouting the contraband rule since 2025. A former food services worker was reportedly arrested on two counts of introducing prohibited items in June last year.
A former prison officer was arrested in March after allegedly being caught on camera bringing contraband into the jail. A facility-wide search in January 2025 also resulted in 55 warrants being issued against various inmates.
Another person was arrested and two prisoners were charged in a separate smuggling investigation back in August of this year. Grant remains accused of the offences and has not been convicted.
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