Columbia, South Carolina—- Acting United States Attorney Kevin F. McDonald stated today that Timothy Turner, age 25, of Westminster, South Carolina, was sentenced today in federal court in Anderson for maliciously destroying a vehicle carrying United States mail by means of fire, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 844(i). Senior United States District Judge

G. Ross Anderson, Jr., sentenced Turner to five years in federal prison. He will also have to serve a three year period of supervised release after imprisonment.

Last June, Turner stole a postal van parked on the campus of Clemson University. The van contained approximately 33 tubs of mail destined for various addresses at the University. After going through the contents of the van, Turner drove it to a rural area in Oconee County and set it on fire. The van and all of the mail items were completely destroyed.

The case was investigated by agents of the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Clemson University Police Department, and the Oconee County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney William J. Watkins, Jr., of the Greenville office handled the case.