The Cordova man who enjoyed a brief flight of freedom after escaping from jail a week ago spoke out Monday about his case and the facility from which he fled.

Accused armed robber and prison escapee Joseph Parham said any investigation into the Orangeburg-Calhoun Detention Center by an outside entity would result in closing the facility.

"They don't have to be in that jail five minutes before they'd close that jail down," Parham said.

The accusations come a week after Parham and fellow inmate Gregory Blurton took part in the Sept. 15 escape from the OCDC. Parham made good his effort while Blurton was recaptured after injuring himself during the attempt.

Allegations of an insecure facility, weapons aplenty inside the facility and inmates ruling the roost were among topics Parham openly discussed during a brief interview.

Ironic to Parham's accusations, an outside entity was brought in less than 24 hours after the Cordova man's disappearance.

Law enforcement officials from the S.C. Department of Corrections, the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety and the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office joined officials with the OCDC for an inspection of the detention center around 8 p.m. Sept. 15.

The multiagency effort was aimed at locating any contraband, such as weapons or instruments that could be used to facilitate another escape, after Parham is believed to have used a hacksaw blade to make his way to freedom.

Several charges of assault have been filed, Parham said, after he was attacked by "seven to 10 guys" (inmates) prior to his escape due to a lack of security inside the building. Inmates rule the inside of the compound, Parham said.

"None of the doors, none of the doors lock on medium or on maximum lockdown," Parham said. "They only got 15 or 16 cells they can lock."

Despite the law enforcement inspection sweep, Parham said, all types of weapons can be found inside the detention center, some hidden behind loose cinder blocks. The animated inmate rated last week's prison inspection a zero.

"You wouldn't believe the stuff they have back there," Parham said. "They didn't find anything."

There was something far worse in the jail than a homemade ice pick or shank, Parham said.

"I took the gun with me when I left and threw it in the river," Parham said. "I don't know if there's a, there's a Derringer .22 supposed to be in there."

The most telling accusation surrounds the escape itself. Although he wouldn't name anyone specific, Parham emphatically said he had inside help obtaining the tools necessary to break out.

"It was a police," Parham said. "It was an officer that gave us the tools to do what we done."

Orangeburg-Calhoun Detention Center Director Willie Bamberg was unavailable for comment Monday.

The first incident that led to a chain reaction of incidents and accusations began with Parham's "going over the wall."

Police say that around 2:50 a.m. Sept. 15, Parham and Blurton managed to saw through steel cell bars and mesh wire to make their way outside the detention center. Blurton was discovered injured on the premises while Parham had vanished.

Meanwhile, in a telephone interview after Parham was found missing, 1st Circuit Solicitor Walter Bailey said he had informed jail officials of a pending escape attempt weeks ago.

U.S. marshals contacted the solicitor's office after learning of the possible breakout, a statement Bamberg initially denied but later revised. The detention center director said he had received two tips concerning an escape, one of which did not include information concerning Parham or Blurton.

Two days later, an OCSO SWAT team swarmed around a commercial bus on Five Chop Road. Around 5 a.m., Parham was arrested without incident while attempting a bus trip to Pennsylvania.

Parham was originally in the OCDC awaiting adjudication for an armed-robbery charge. He said his innocence was what prompted him to make the escape attempt.

"I would like to tell the people out there that I was locked up wrongfully," Parham said. "I don't know if (1st Circuit deputy solicitor) Robby Robbins is holding me as a political figure. ... They are using me. I got paperwork to prove it."

Robbins refuted that accusation Monday, saying the matter had been settled in court.

Parham said his charges have been dismissed. Robbins said otherwise.

"His charges have not been dropped, that's for sure" Robbins said. "Once these guys go to prison and have access to the law library, they think they're lawyers. He's already brought his charge before (Circuit Judge Edward) Cottingham, and that issue has been resolved in the state's favor."

T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5516.

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