The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating a beating incident at the Orangeburg-Calhoun Regional Detention Center that left one inmate hospitalized.

William Heyward Herndon's father said he was hopeful Thursday that his son will recover after another surgery following Saturday's incident.

"They had to operate on him again this morning for something," said Bill Herndon, Heyward Herndon's father. The doctor "came out and told them his liver is 99 percent gone and he's having kidney problems and he's never had kidney problems before."

"The doctor said if his liver would mend a little bit, he'd probably make it. If it didn't, he wouldn't," he said.

A corrections officer came upon the fight at about 5:10 p.m. Saturday as he was escorting a female inmate to the visitation area, according to an Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office incident report. The report states that a fellow inmate "was seen on top of the victim, beating him about the face and body."

The fight was stopped and Herndon was taken to the Regional Medical Center due to multiple facial fractures. He was later transported to the trauma unit of Palmetto Health Richland in Columbia.

Jail Director Willie Bamberg said, "We had an incident at the jail and it's under investigation by SLED, but we do have an inmate in the hospital."

"It was an incident that happened in the holding cell between two inmates and it's under investigation. No officers were involved," he said.

Bamberg said he is not aware of anyone being arrested in the case, "but the (other) inmate (involved in the incident) is still here."

"They said him and somebody got into a fight. I don't think anybody beat him with his fists like that," Bill Herndon said.

He says he realizes his 52-year-old son was in jail, but "that don't give (someone else) no excuse to beat him up like they did."

He said his son's jawbone was broken, along with every other bone in his face.

"He's been on a respirator. They waited two and a half hours before they ever took him to the hospital in Orangeburg and then carried him to Columbia," Bill Herndon said. "It was seven-something before they carried him to the emergency room and if they hadn't carried him then, he would have done been dead, the doctor said."

Bamberg, contacted late Thursday evening, said he didn't have his records on hand, but he doesn't think it took that long to get Herndon to the hospital.

"I don't think that's true," Bamberg said.

Bill Herndon said he's also displeased the family didn't learn about the incident until they went to the jail to take their son a money order on Monday. Jail officials told them they tried to call the family, but the family said they saw no signs of that.

T&D City Editor Gene Crider can be reached by e-mail at gcrider@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5570. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

You must be logged in to comment.