Sumter Man Guilty After Robbing Same Bank Twice

United States Attorney W. Walter Wilkins stated that Deonta Lamont Carpenter, age 29, of Sumter, South Carolina, pled guilty in federal court to armed bank robbery and a related firearms offense. Carpenter pled guilty during the middle of trial, following two days of testimony. United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., will sentence Carpenter at a later date.

Carpenter first robbed the Bank of America branch at 1141 Broad Street in Sumter on November 4, 2004. Carpenter entered the bank with a gun and robbed it of more than $20,000. Officers spotted the getaway car and attempted to stop it, but Carpenter jumped from the car with the money and ran into a wooded area near the Turbeville Correctional Institute. The manhunt lasted all day, until SLED bloodhounds tracked down Carpenter and the stolen bag of money he had hidden in the woods.

Carpenter was jailed on state charges for the bank robbery, but was later released on bond in July 2005. Three days after his release, Carpenter robbed the same bank again, this time getting away with more than $330,000. He was captured approximately one week later in Columbia by officers assigned to the Fugitive Squad of the United States Marshals Service.

Carpenter faces a mandatory minimum term of 32 years in federal prison.

The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the Sumter Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Stan Ragsdale and Bob Jendron of the Columbia office handled the case.

SUMTER MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

United States Attorney W. Walter Wilkins stated today that Richard Wayne Hill, II, age 34, of Sumter, pled guilty in federal court to possession of child pornography, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A. Senior United States District Judge Matthew J. Perry, Jr., accepted the plea and will impose sentence at a later date.

Last June, Hill sent messages to an undercover postal Inspector posing as an online child pornography distributor. Hill contacted the investigator through an online chat room and ordered a CD containing child pornography. When law enforcement officers made a controlled delivery of the material, Hill admitted that he already had a collection of similar images. During a search of Hill’s residence, officers seized a computer and numerous CD-ROM discs that contained child pornography.

Mr. Wilkins stated the maximum penalty Hill can receive is a fine of $250,000 and imprisonment for ten years.

The case was investigated by agents of the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Dean A. Eichelberger of the Columbia office handled the case.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.