Bamberg County hires new head of detention center

BAMBERG, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Bamberg County has hired a new detention center captain to succeed one who resigned recently.

Moses Cheatham will direct operations and programs, supervise and train employees, and oversee the daily activities of incarcerated inmates of the Bamberg County Detention Center.

He’s been a lieutenant with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office for the past 25 years with 40 combined years of law enforcement experience.

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He has supervised more than 30 employees and served as a patrol officer, jailer, transportation officer, shift sergeant, captain of operations and shift lieutenant, according to Bamberg County officials. He also has completed managerial and executive certifications and holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management from Voorhees University.

“I’m looking forward to working with and for the Bamberg community and hope to add to the current spirit of camaraderie and teamwork,” he said. “A leader is only as good as his team.”

County Administrator Joey Preston described Cheatham as a “great find.”

“Moses will be an excellent addition to our team, and Bamberg County is fortunate to have found a detention center captain who has such vast knowledge of law enforcement management,” Preston said.

Cheatham lives in Augusta with his wife, Sanita, and he has four children and three grandchildren.

He succeeds Capt. Latarcha K. Wilson, who drew complaints over a comment she made while on speakerphone with her daughter after the daughter had been stopped on a traffic violation. The comment included a racial epithet for white people that was overheard by one of the officers. Wilson resigned after the officers made a complaint.