A Florence County Detention Center Corrections Officer found herself unemployed and under arrest Thursday morning after the agency she for which she worked discovered she lied about her car being stolen, Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone said.
Julia Johnson, 38, of 7676 Friendfield Road in Effingham is charged with filing a false report, Florence County jail bookings reports show.
She was booked into the very facility where she’d worked for six months as soon as deputies had gathered enough evidence in the case, Boone said.
Johnson was fired immediately, he said.
On the night of Aug. 3, deputies said the suspect was leaving a nightclub when she was involved in a crash.
The next morning, the suspect filed an incident report and told deputies someone had stolen her car and wrecked it, Boone said.
Deputies later determined that wasn’t true and began their investigation, the sheriff said.
“It’s unfortunate and embarrassing that the agency had to report a correctional officer doing something illegal, but it’s something that has to be done,” he said.
The public holds law enforcement officers to a higher standard, Boone said, adding he wasn’t going to tolerate one of his own being involved in criminal activity.
Boone said he doesn’t allow Florence County Sheriff’s Office employees to patronize any bar or nightclub in the county.
“How can a officer consume alcohol at a bar and then get in a car and drive? That’s unacceptable,” he said.
Deputies are still trying to determine if alcohol was a factor in the suspect’s crash, Boone said.
Johnson was released Thursday after posting a $2,000 personal recognizance bond, booking reports show.
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