Donald Ray Hurst, Jr., a 35-year-old resident of Sumter, has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison after being found guilty of destruction of an energy facility and possession of child sexual abuse material.
According to evidence presented during the investigation, on August 11, 2023, Duke Energy reported a power outage near Fish Road in Dalzell. FBI agents and deputies from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office responded and discovered that a regulator bank, which distributes electricity to local residents and businesses, had been damaged by gunfire. This incident caused thousands of customers to lose power and resulted in damages exceeding $100,000 for repairs and replacement.
Hurst was identified as the shooter and taken into custody. While incarcerated, he was recorded discussing with another individual the existence of a hard drive at his home that “could get someone in trouble.” In a subsequent call, Hurst admitted to shooting the regulator bank and revealed that the hard drive contained images of child sexual abuse material he obtained from the dark web. Law enforcement recovered the hard drive following this information. A search warrant led investigators to discover several confirmed images of child sexual abuse material on it.
The case relied on investigative leads from the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), which enables law enforcement agencies nationwide to compare ballistic evidence in order to solve crimes involving firearms. More information about NIBIN can be found at https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative designed to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and community groups. The Department of Justice launched a new violent crime reduction strategy for PSN on May 26, 2021, focusing on trust-building with communities, supporting prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and evaluating results.
The case also falls under Project Safe Childhood, a national program established by the U.S. Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation by coordinating resources across federal, state, and local levels. More details about Project Safe Childhood are available at http://www.justice.gov/psc.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Hurst to 125 months imprisonment followed by lifetime court-ordered supervision and ordered him to pay $138,000 in restitution. Federal prisoners are not eligible for parole.
The investigation involved multiple agencies: FBI Columbia Field Office, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, and Sumter Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lamar J. Fyall and Michael Shedd prosecuted the case.
