Two Chadbourn men plead guilty to setting fire to tire store

GREENVILLE – United States Attorney George E.B. Holding
announced that in federal court today before United States
Magistrate Judge David W. Daniel two defendants pled guilty to
charges related to the fire of Carolina Tire Sales. MICHAEL CODY
CLAMP, 19, of Chadbourn, North Carolina, and DANIEL WAYNE SCOTT,
20, also of Chadbourn, North Carolina, each pled guilty to aiding
and abetting arson in violation of Title, 18, United States Code,
Section 844.

A Federal Grand Jury returned a Criminal Indictment on October
27, 2010.

The investigation revealed that Richard Blake Turner, CLAMP,
and SCOTT intentionally started the fire so that SCOTT, a volunteer
firefighter, would be able to earn extra money. On September 21,
2009, CLAMP and SCOTT asked Turner if he wanted to make some money.
CLAMP stated that he had a plan to set the old Ithaca plant on fire
in order that SCOTT could make extra money. CLAMP and SCOTT picked
Turner up around 11:00 p.m.

The three men drove to an area about 1/4 mile away from the
site, and parked the car. SCOTT had two small plastic bottles
filled with a liquid used to start fires. After walking around the
building, SCOTT left Turner and CLAMP. SCOTT entered the building
through a broken window. From the plastic bottles he was carrying,
he splashed the liquid contents around some tires, started a fire,
and left the building through the broken window. Shortly
thereafter, SCOTT yelled “run,” and Turner and CLAMP saw SCOTT
running away from the building.

At sentencing, each defendant faces up to 40 years’
imprisonment followed by up to five years’ supervised release and
a fine of up to $250,000.

Turner pled guilty on October 12, 2010, to aiding and abetting
arson and is scheduled to be sentenced in February, 2011.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the North Carolina State
Bureau of Investigation; the Chadbourn Police Department and the
Columbus County Fire Marshal’s Office. Assistant United States
Attorney Banumathi Rangarajan represented the government.