Ridgeland Prisoner Found Guilty of Assaulting and Abusing Commissary Employee

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RIDGELAND, S.C. () — An inmate at the Ridgeland Correctional Institute pleaded guilty to the rape and kidnapping of a commissary worker, officials announced Tuesday.

Ahmad Rashad Bonds, 41, pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping at the Jasper County Courthouse Tuesday. He was sentenced to 29 years for both charges and his sentences will be served concurrently, meaning he will serve his sentences at the same time.

Bonds was already incarcerated and serving a 25-year prison sentence for first-degree criminal sexual conduct, first-degree burglary and armed robbery when the attack happened in 2019.

He snuck into the prison’s stockroom through an unlocked door while the worker was documenting damaged items and attacked her, a 14^th Judicial Circuit spokesperson said.

“He waited for an opportunity to attack the victim, and he got his chance when she went to the restroom to wash her hands,” Hunter Swanson of the 14^th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case said. “Wearing a face covering, he attacked her from behind, pushing her to the floor.”

He also threatened to kill the woman after 68-year-old was able to pull Bonds’ face covering down. When she tried to call for help, Bonds beat the woman with the phone’s handset, officials said.

S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) investigators documented blood smearing on the bathroom’s walls and floor due to the attack.

The worker was able to push a cabinet and table against the door and fought Bond off by spraying chemicals in his face after he attempted to get into the storage room again.

Bond then returned to his cell block for roll call. The woman was found two hours later and treated for her injuries.

She was able to identify Bonds in a lineup and DNA collected during a sexual assault exam came back as Bonds, officials said.

“The victim in this case is ready to put this nightmare behind her and move on with her life,” Swanson said. “Today’s outcome provides a modicum of closure to the victim who endured a violent attack.”