FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 12, 2006
(Columbia, SC) Forestry Commission agents have arrested a Kershaw man for stealing timber. Terry Lynn Bowers, 36, is charged with cutting and removing timber without permission.
Agents said Bowers cut a number of cedar trees from a property where he was a tenant. The trees were then processed into posts and sold locally. The investigation revealed that though Bowers was living on the property legally, he had no permission to harvest the timber.
Investigators tracked Bowers to Manning where he was working as a roofer. Late Tuesday evening, Forestry officers and Clarendon County deputies converged on the job site and took Bowers into custody.
In addition to the timber theft charges, Bowers was cited for simple possession of a controlled substance.
Bowers has a lengthy criminal record, including drug charges and violent behavior. He recently completed a 12-year prison term for manslaughter.
Timber theft and timber fraud cost South Carolina landowners millions of dollars each year. Timber transaction crime should be reported to Forestry Commission law enforcement,
803-896-8820.
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Legal Reference:
SC Code 16-11-580 Cutting and Removing Timber w/o Permission