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CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, S.C. (WBTV) - A jail escape in Chesterfield County is putting new attention on the county’s aging detention center.

The sheriff said the 50-year-old facility needs major upgrades with a new jail costing around $50 million.

Surveillance video shows the moment 30-year-old Charles Alexander Dieterich appears to use a pencil to manipulate the lock on his cell.

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The sheriff’s office says he made his way through the kitchen, through an unlocked door, and climbed over barbed wire fencing before deputies caught up with him.

“He didn’t get very far down the road. He was not far at all,” said Sheriff Cambo Streater.

It’s the latest in a string of escapes or attempts made here over the last four years. When WBTV toured the facility last month, the sheriff’s office pointed out another problem the facility is spread across three buildings.

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“Our maintenance crew here in Chesterfield County do a tremendous job fixing what they can. But some things can’t be fixed in a 50-year-old building. You can’t change the blueprint of it. So, we’re evaluating everything over there right now,” Sheriff Streater said.

A new $50 million facility is being proposed, and the county has offered two ways it can be paid for.

The first is a penny sales tax paid by shoppers over eight years. Or residents have the option of a property tax increase — paid by residents over around 30 years.

Residence say they feel safe here and some say they don’t see the immediate need for a new center, while others say they would support it.

One resident, Kelly Hendrix says,

“From what I hear from employees, they need a new one because there’s not enough space and it’s just very old. But I wasn’t too worried about it honestly. I feel like we have ways here to protect ourselves,” said resident Kelly Hendrix.

“To be safer is better, obviously than to not be safe, but I think that if it’s what they need to do, and want to do, I absolutely would support it,” Tina Smash said.

Voters can weigh in on their ballots this November. The sheriff’s office says a new facility would be more secure.

“A new jail is an absolute need and it’s not a thing that people think about on a daily basis, but we do over here and we do the best we can of keeping that one up and running and safe, safe as we can keep it,” said Sheriff Streater.

Dieterich was captured quickly after his escape and is back behind bars facing new charges.

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — Chesterfield County Sheriff Cambo Streater said the detention center has taken an emergency step to address ongoing overcrowding concerns while county leaders continue working toward a long-term solution.

In the past few weeks, family members of inmates told ABC 15 that overcrowding at the jail had become a major concern, with some days seeing three to four inmates housed inside a single cell.

Sheriff Streater said the detention center has more inmates than it can comfortably handle.

He added they had no other choice but to move the women to neighboring jails to free up 32 additional beds at the facility.

The female inmates will remain housed at neighboring facilities temporarily while officials work to reduce the overcrowding situation.

Streater said families of the inmates were notified about the transfers and that officials had limited options because of the lack of available space.

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The overcrowding issue previously forced the detention center to discontinue its work camp program, which allowed sentenced inmates to perform labor for the county. The former work camp area is now being used to house female inmates, as male and female inmates must remain separated.

The detention center administrator is also no longer employed at the facility as of this past Friday, Streater said.

No additional details about the personnel change were released.

Streater said Chesterfield County Council members are continuing to make finding funding for a new detention center a priority. Council recently formed a committee tasked with identifying potential revenue sources and developing a plan to present to the public.

Streater continues to praise detention center employees for their continued work and dedication while dealing with the challenges caused by overcrowding.

ABC 15 will continue following this developing issue and provide updates as more information becomes available.

The video above is a live stream of WBTV and affiliated programming, and may not be directly related to the article below.

FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTV) - A federal grand jury has indicted seven Chesterfield County men in connection with a dogfighting operation that triggered the largest single-property dog seizure in South Carolina history, prosecutors said Friday.

A grand jury in Florence returned a nine-count indictment on Friday, Sept. 4, charging seven men with conspiracy to violate the Animal Welfare Act, possession of dogs for animal fighting, and unlawful possession of firearms.

According to the indictment, the men bred, housed and trained pit bull-type dogs for dogfighting in an operation that allegedly spanned nearly seven years from 2019 to 2026.

During investigations from April to July 2026, authorities seized more than 100 dogs and dogfighting equipment, including treadmills, bite sticks, heavy metal chains and breeding stands.

Avery Robinson, 36, was found with nearly 77 pit-bull type dogs leading to what officials called the largest single property dog seizure in South Carolina’s history.

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The other defendants included Lonnie Gaskins, 28; Terry Gaskins, 49; Shamar Sutton, 32; Derwayne Miller Sr., 46; Derwayne Miller Jr., 26; Kevin Knotts, 26.

Lonnie Gaskins was reportedly a former Chesterfield County Sheriff’s deputy and was found with seven trained pit bull-type dogs. Authorities said they found a hanging scale, weighted collars and chains, and a carpet stained with canine blood at his residence.

The seven Chesterfield County men face up to five years in prison, while Miller Jr. and Terry Gaskins face up to 15 years for firearm offenses.

Lonnie Gaskins was reportedly a former Chesterfield County Sheriff’s deputy and was found with seven trained pit bull-type dogs. Authorities said they found a hanging scale, weighted collars and chains, and a carpet stained with canine blood.

The condition of the seized dogs was not immediately clear as of this writing.

“Dog fighting turns suffering into entertainment and violence into a business,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “We’ll continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate animal cruelty and speak for these defenseless dogs, who cannot speak for themselves.”