Sumter man faces 20 years after guilty plea to destruction of energy facility, possession of sexual child abuse material charges

A Sumter man faces 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to federal charges of destruction of an energy facility and possession of child sexual abuse material.

According to a United States Department of Justice news release, Duke Energy called law enforcement to respond to a power outage near Fish Road in Dalzell on Aug. 11, 2023. FBI agents and Sumter County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived to see a regulator bank, which distributes power to the local community and surrounding businesses, had multiple holes in it. The holes appeared to be from bullets, and the damage resulted in a power outage for several thousand customers as well as a cleanup cost and replacement of the regulators at more than $100,000, the department said.

After investigators spoke with witnesses who confirmed they heard gunshots near the regulators on Aug. 9, agents installed a pole camera at the location, and two days later, they returned to find the regulators had been shot again, and a 9mm shell casing was recovered from the scene.

Reviewing the pole camera footage, investigators saw a white van arrive near the regulators and stop, and gunshots were fired toward the energy facility, the department said. The owner of the van was located and told investigators the vehicle was in the possession of Donald Ray Hurst, 35, of Sumter and another individual during the time of the shooting. A search of the van found a spent 9mm shell casing, the department said.

A search warrant executed on Hurst’s home recovered a firearm in his room and 9mm handgun in a safe within the house. Forensic analysis determined the shell casings found at the scene and inside the van were shot from the handgun. Hurst’s fingerprint was also found on the handgun trigger and the key to a safe containing the handgun was found with Hurst’s car keys, the department said.

Once arrested and charged, Hurst was incarcerated and was recorded on a jail phone call informing someone of a hard drive in his room that needed to be recovered as it “could get someone in trouble,” the department said. In another recorded phone call, Hurst was also heard admitting to shooting the regulator bank and stated the hard drive contained images of child sexual abuse material that he acquired from the dark web, according to the department.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children confirmed several images to be child sexual abuse material, according to the department.

Hurst faces 20 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, restitution and lifetime supervision to follow the term of imprisonment for each charge.

U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis accepted Hurst’s guilty plea and will sentence him after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report from U.S. Probation Office.