Newly released security footage shows the Sept. 1 escape, which exposed a vulnerability in an aging section of the detention center.
CHESTERFIELD, SC — A South Carolina inmate used a pencil to manipulate his jail cell door, left the Chesterfield County Detention Center and made it more than half a mile from the facility before deputies captured him less than 30 minutes later, according to the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office.
Charles Alexander Dieterich, 30, escaped at about 4:20 p.m. Sept. 1 from the detention center’s B-Work Camp, an area in an older section of the facility dating to 1972, officials said. Newly released security footage brought renewed attention to the escape this week and to the security weaknesses identified by county officials afterward. Sheriff Cambo Streater said the incident prompted immediate precautions and a broader review of the facility, procedures and security measures.
The sheriff’s office said Dieterich manipulated the cell door’s locking system with a pencil and was able to open the door. Authorities said the locking system normally secures the housing area but could be defeated when intentionally manipulated. After leaving the cell, Dieterich moved through the detention center’s kitchen and went outside through an unlocked door routinely used by inmates assigned to kitchen work and by staff. Officials said he then crossed a secured perimeter fence before leaving the detention center grounds.
Detention employees discovered the escape during routine rounds, authorities said. Staff noticed the B-Work Camp door was ajar at about 4:41 p.m., and other inmates told them Dieterich had left the housing area. Employees secured the area and notified dispatch. Deputies were sent out within minutes and encountered Dieterich near the Chesterfield County Public Works Shop on Jones Road at about 4:48 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities accused Dieterich of assaulting a deputy as officers tried to take him into custody. Deputies ultimately detained him and confirmed his identity. He was taken to McLeod Health Cheraw for treatment of cuts that officials said he suffered while crossing the detention center’s barbed-wire fencing. After being medically cleared, he was returned to the Chesterfield County Detention Center.
Dieterich had been arrested by the sheriff’s office in June on charges involving a stolen vehicle, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and failure to stop for a blue light. The sheriff’s office said he pleaded guilty Aug. 13 and was sentenced to time served. He remained at the South Carolina detention center because of an active hold involving charges in North Carolina and had not signed an extradition waiver, officials said.
The Sept. 1 escape brought additional charges. Authorities said Dieterich faces allegations including unlawful escape, resisting arrest, assaulting an officer and malicious injury to personal property. Those charges are allegations, and the available reports do not indicate that they have been resolved in court. It was not clear from the most recent public reporting whether Dieterich had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
Streater said the escape revealed a security vulnerability in an aging jail. “Any escape from our detention center is a serious matter, and we are conducting a full review of how this occurred,” the sheriff said in a statement. He said the department’s responsibility continued after Dieterich was recaptured and that officials would examine the facility, its procedures and other security measures. Portions of the detention center have been in use for more than five decades.
Officials said immediate safeguards were put in place after the escape, including direct supervision of the affected housing area while the door and locking mechanism were evaluated. The sheriff’s office said it planned to make changes needed to prevent another escape, but no final findings from the security review had been publicly announced in the reports available through Sept. 19.
Author note: Last updated September 19, 2026.