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by JENN WOOD
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A Sumter, South Carolina man who fired dozens of rounds into a Duke Energy regulator bank — knocking out power to thousands of residents and businesses — will spend more than a decade in federal prison.
Federal prosecutors said Donald Ray Hurst, Jr., 35, not only caused over $100,000 in damage and put the reliability of the region’s power grid at risk, but he was also later caught with a hidden hard drive containing child sexual abuse material (a.k.a. CSAM or child pornography) obtained from the dark web.
Hurst’s crimes were detailed in a federal indictment and confirmed through recorded jail phone calls in which he admitted shooting at the equipment and acknowledged the illicit material on his computer. On Thursday (August 14, 2025), U.S. district court judge Mary Geiger Lewis handed down a 125 month sentence, followed by lifetime court-ordered supervision.
There is no parole in the federal system, so Hurst will serve every day of his sentence at a federal penitentiary.
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A GRID ATTACK LEADS INVESTIGATORS TO SOMETHING DARKER
On August 11, 2023, deputies with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) and agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) responded to a power outage near Fish Road in Dalzell, S.C. after Duke Energy reported damage to its equipment. Investigators discovered multiple bullet holes in a regulator bank — critical infrastructure that distributes power to homes and businesses.
The damage knocked out electricity to several thousand customers and caused more than $100,000 in repair and replacement costs.
According to a federal indictment (.pdf), Hurst was accused of “knowingly and willfully damaging and attempting to damage” the facility in a manner that could have endangered human life and the reliability of the power grid.
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Authorities identified Hurst as the shooter within days. While incarcerated, he was recorded telling someone to retrieve a hard drive from his home because it “could get someone in trouble.” In another call, he admitted to firing at the regulator bank and described the contents of the drive.
Agents later seized the device, and a search of its contents revealed images of child sexual abuse material obtained from the dark web. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) confirmed the material depicted minors.
The indictment specifically alleged Hurst “knowingly received and possessed” multiple files containing child sexual abuse material.
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SENTENCING AND FEDERAL RESPONSE
In addition to his ten-year prison sentence and lifetime court-ordered supervision, Lewis ordered Hurst to pay $138,000 in restitution to Duke Energy.
The investigation was led by the FBI’s Columbia, S.C. field office, the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the SCSO, and the Sumter Police Department (SPD). Assistant U.S. attorneys Lamar J. Fyall and Michael Shedd prosecuted the case.
Federal officials credited the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) with providing key leads. The system — which allows investigators to connect firearms to multiple crimes — was instrumental in linking Hurst to the shooting.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.
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