Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Arrests Seneca Woman in Sexual Misconduct Investigation
- jwatt27
- 4 minutes ago
- 2 min read
(Walhalla, SC)-------------------------------------A Seneca woman was released from jail today, on a $25,000 personal recognizance bond, after her arrest yesterday morning as a result of a sexual misconduct investigation that also involved a State Inmate who is housed at the Oconee County Detention Center.
39 year old Dana Nicole Phillips, of Watson Drive, was booked into the Oconee County Detention Center at around 9:26am today on a Temporary Custody Order. An arrest warrant was obtained today against Phillips on a charge of First Degree Sexual Misconduct with an Inmate of a Correctional Facility.
The Sheriff’s Office investigation began on November 13th of this year after a Lieutenant with the Detention Center requested an Investigation into reports of contraband within the jail and on the jail facility grounds. The investigation was assigned to an Investigator with the Criminal Investigations Bureau of the Sheriff’s Office.
A search of the area of the jail where State Inmates are housed led to the discovery of contraband. During the course of the investigation, and through the collection of evidence, the Investigator learned that Phillips had been engaging in a sexual intercourse with a State Inmate in 2023.
Additionally, and based upon the evidence that was gathered in the investigation, 43 year old Joshua Richard Dills of Walhalla was charged with one count of Possession of Contraband inside of an Detention Facility for having a cellphone inside of the jail.
Phillips, who was not a County employee, was employed by a company that was contracted to provide healthcare services to inmates inside of the Oconee County Detention Center.
According to Captain Jeremy Chapman of the Oconee County Detention Center, the State Inmate could not consent to the activity with Phillips, even though he was complicit in the activity, due to the fact that the Inmate is still considered to be in State custody and is a Ward of the state. Therefore, the Inmate is considered a victim of a sexual based crime, and his name will not be released.
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation.