Juvenile corrections officer attacked a minor at Columbia facility, SC officials say
A former guard for the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice was arrested for assaulting a minor at a facility in Columbia, officials said.
Tyquine Leonard, a 28-year-old Cayce resident, was charged with third-degree assault and battery as well as one count of misconduct in office, SCDJJ said Tuesday in a news release.
Leonard was working as a juvenile correctional officer at the Midlands Evaluation Center in Richland County, according to arrest warrants. That’s at 1721 Shivers Road in Columbia, not far from the intersection of Broad River Road and St. Andrews Road.
Juveniles housed at the evaluation center include those who have been convicted and are ordered to undergo “psychological, social, and educational assessments,” as well as those who are court-ordered to be committed, according to DJJ.
On Nov. 15, 2023, Leonard knowingly and willingly assaulted a youth, arrest warrants show. He choked and pushed the minor in the chest and upper body, according to the arrest warrants.
Evidence gathered from witnesses and video surveillance led to the charges, arrest warrants show.
There was no word about what motivated the attack.
Information about how, and when, Leonard left the SCDJJ job was not available, but he surrendered to law enforcement at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center Tuesday morning, according to the release.
As of Tuesday afternoon, no bond was set and Leonard remained behind bars, jail records show.
“SCDJJ strives to hold all employees accountable for actions that violate internal policies, oath of office, or the law,” officials said in the release.
If he’s convicted on the misconduct in office charge, Leonard faces a maximum punishment of a fine and a year in prison, according to South Carolina law.
A conviction on the misdemeanor assault and battery charge could lead to a maximum punishment of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine, per South Carolina law.
This is not the first time Leonard has been charged with third-degree assault and battery.
On June 14, 2023, Leonard was arrested on the same charge, in addition to one count of malicious injury to property (value $2,000 or less), Richland County court records show. He was released on a $3,212.50 bond on the combined charges from the 2023 arrest, and a jury trial is pending, according to court records.
