56-Year-Old South Carolina Correctional Officer Forcibly Kisses Co-Worker While On Duty, Charged With Assault

A lieutenant with the South Carolina Department of Corrections was charged with assault for forcibly kissing a co-worker while on the job. The incident took place at the Ridgeland Correctional Institution on May 2 and he was charged on Wednesday (May 13).

According to an arrest warrant, the accused, identified as 56-year-old Johnny Lee Bryant Jr., from Hilton Island, blocked the doorway of a briefing room at the facility to prevent his female co-worker from leaving the room. He then went on to forcibly kiss her on the lips. The woman, however, managed to fight off the advances and ran out of the room.

The accused was charged with one count each of assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping, and misconduct in office.

The South Carolina Department of Corrections spokesperson Chrysti Shain confirmed that the accused, a correctional officer supervisor, has since been fired. Investigation into the incident was ongoing.

The incident comes months after a Philadelphia police inspector was charged with sexually assaulting three fellow officers. The accused, identified as 54-year-old Carl Holmes, a chief inspector, served as an instructor at the police training academy during which the incidents took place. He used his position to get close to young female trainees. He sexually assaulted three of them while they were junior officers. He was charged with aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault without consent, criminal attempt of sexual assault, forcible compulsion, and criminal attempt at forcible compulsion among other charges.

In another incident last year, a New York Police Department officer accused her lieutenant of making lewd advances toward her, including a proposal for a threesome. The federal discrimination complaint filed against Lt. Jonathan Blatt stated that the harassment began after officer Emily Brucato started working under him in July 2016. The officer faced remarks like, “Hey, would you ever have a threesome? It is OK because my wife gave me the go-ahead” and “Have you ever had sex with a black man?” Blatt was transferred and demoted from the post of lieutenant to sergeant.