By Noah Feit
The State
COLUMBIA, S.C. — An inmate being transferred to a prison in Columbia on Monday attempted to escape from a van while it was driving on Interstate 26, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
While 31-year-old Sean Jarrett Tomsha caused damage to the van, and even stuck his head out, he did not escape, S.C. Department of Corrections officials said in a news release.
The incident happened on a stretch of I-26 that runs through West Columbia as Tomsha was being moved from Lieber Correctional Institution in Ridgeville to Broad River Correctional Institution, according to the release.
The 5-foot-11, 225-pound Tomsha kicked the glass out of a window and broke the hinges on the van door, Corrections officials said. The vehicle didn’t suffer any other obvious damage, according to the release.
In the video below, Lexipol co-founder Gordon Graham discusses safety considerations during inmate transport.
Tomsha was subdued by S.C. Department of Corrections officers, along with West Columbia Police Department officers who responded to a call for assistance, officials said. Members of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department also provided assistance to S.C. Department of Corrections officers.
No one was injured and the public was not in danger, S.C. Department of Corrections officials said.
Tomsha was secured in Broad River Correctional Institution by Monday night, according to the release. He’s expected to face charges connected to the attempted escape, S.C. Department of Corrections officials said.
Tomsha was being transferred to the Broad River facility days after the South Carolina Department of Corrections Inspector General identified him as one of 11 inmates named in arrest warrants from the end of last year that were related to violent crimes behind bars, officials said.
Tomsha was charged with second-degree assault and battery following a March 7, 2024, incident at Kirkland Correctional Institution, the arrest warrant shows. He also was placed in detention for 30 days and faced other discipline in the form of lost privileges, according to the S.C. Department of Corrections.
In that assault, Tomsha snatched his cellmate off the top bunk and crashed down onto the cement floor, according to the arrest warrant. Tomsha then punched his cellmate in the face, and continued to attack even after the cellmate was unconscious, the arrest warrant said.
The cellmate suffered a fractured cheekbone along with other contusions to his face and remained unconscious for some time, according to the arrest warrant. Further information on the cellmate’s condition was not available.
Tomsha was sent to prison in December 2023 after he pleaded guilty to an assault and battery (of a high and aggravated nature) charge, Spartanburg County court records show. Tomsha was sentenced to serve 8 years in a S.C. Department of Corrections facility, and his projected release date was March 30, 2029, prison records show.
He also pleaded guilty to a third-degree assault and battery charge connected to the same Jan. 1, 2022 arrest, but was credited for time served on that count, according to court records.
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