|
|
| « Back to News Room |
|
|
|
|
South Carolina Arson Hotline Tip Solves Greenwood Arson Case
December 10, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Russ Dubisky, Executive Director
803-252-3455 or cell phone 803-708-5271
russd@scinsnews.com
Columbia, SC – December 10, 2008 - A tip to the South Carolina Arson Hotline (1-800-92-ARSON) helped solve a Greenwood home arson case and led to a reward for the tipster today.
According to Lt. Bobby Shealy of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the fire was intentionally set at the home at 845 Edgefield Street, Greenwood, SC on March 10, 2008. The damage is estimated at $30,000.
Information provided through the South Carolina Arson Hotline at the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division helped led to the arrest of Michael Lane Sibert who pled guilty on October 24, 2008. In a negotiated sentence, the Honorable Judge Wyatt Saunders of the Greenwood County General Sessions Court sentenced Sibert to 10 years, suspended to three years in the Department of Corrections, five years probation, and ordered Sibert to pay $4,000 in restitution. Sibert was credited for time already served and will be detained at the Department of Corrections until space becomes available at a restitution facility.
The informant, who will remain anonymous, received the $500 reward today from the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of South Carolina (IIABSC), who fund the South Carolina Arson Hotline rewards. Frank Sheppard of the IIABSC Foundation said, “Arson is a serious crime in South Carolina which increases the cost of insurance to everyone who buys insurance. The Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of South Carolina are pleased to have been a sponsor of the South Carolina Arson Hotline rewards for 25 years to help catch arsonists.”
SLED Director Reggie Lloyd says, “I commend all arson investigators around the state. SLED agents consistently perform a thorough job with these types of cases. I applaud the efforts of the Piedmont Regional Agents who worked to close this investigation. Congratulations as well to the Greenwood Fire Department, the Greenwood Police Department and the South Carolina Arson Hotline. It’s a job well done.
Allison Dean Love, Executive Director of the South Carolina Insurance News Service, said, “Arson increases the cost of insurance for homeowners, business owners and vehicle owners. Insurance companies have an interest in detecting and preventing arson because it causes needless loss of life and property.”
The South Carolina Insurance News Service reports the following facts about the South Carolina Arson Hotline:
· The South Carolina Arson Hotline (1-800-92-ARSON) is a statewide, toll-free number available 24 hours a day for reporting information about suspicious fires. Callers can remain anonymous.
· Arson Hotline yard signs, posters, cards and bumper stickers are available FREE from the South Carolina Insurance News Service.
· According to the FBI, people under the age of 25 account for 67% of arson arrests.
· Rewards through the South Carolina Arson Hotline have been paid in Aiken County, Clinton, Columbia, Dillon County, Gaffney, Greenville County, Hemingway, Jasper County, Lancaster, Lake City, Laurens, Marion, Scranton and Westminster.
· The largest reward offered was $22,000 in the case of the Effingham Baptist Church fire. The largest reward paid for a church fire was $7,000 in the cases of the Springhill AME Church in Dillon and Islamic Center and Masjid of Greenville fire in 1997. The largest reward paid for a home or business fire was $2,500 in Columbia.
· Arsonists intentionally set fires that destroyed $878 million worth of property in 2007, down 1.2 percent from $889 million in 2006. These fires include factories, residential buildings, churches and motor vehicles, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
· The number of civilians killed in arson fires in buildings in 2007 totaled 295, down 3.3 percent 2008. Only 18 percent of cases were cleared (closing a case either by an arrest or by a predominance of the evidence) in 2007.
· Vandalism is the leading cause of arson. An Insurance Research Council study indicates that only 14 percent of arson suspects are motivated by a desire to defraud an insurance company, but other studies find the percentage is higher. Between 20 and 25 percent of arson fires are drug-related.
· Juveniles under 18 years of age accounted for 41.2 percent of arson clearances in 2005. Arson has one of the lowest clearance rates of any major crime.
· Arson fires increase the cost of insurance to all consumers.
· The national average loss per arson offense is $17,289 according to the Insurance Information Institute. For structures, arson damages were $32,364 on average and $7,890 for motor vehicles. Arsons of industrial and manufacturing structures resulted in the highest average dollar loses – an average of $114,699 per arson.
Founded in 1982, the South Carolina Arson Hotline has received thousands of calls which have resulted in numerous arson fires being solved. In the past five years, over 7,000 calls resulted in 365 tips which have led to the arrest and conviction of many arsonists.
For more than 30 years, the South Carolina Insurance News Service, a nonprofit organization, has provided free insurance information to consumers and the media about property and casualty insurance issues.
Founded in 1899, the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of South Carolina is the oldest and largest association of property and casualty insurance agents in South Carolina. The association is the premier provider of education, legislative/industry relations, insurance programs, member products and services, and events to independent insurance agents in the state.
The South Carolina Arson Hotline is answered by SLED agents at the SC Information and Intelligence Center. The SLED arson investigators are responsible for assisting local law enforcement and fire services with the investigation of arson, explosives and related crimes. Additional resources available include arson and bomb dogs, technical equipment and bomb squad personnel to assist local agencies.
For more information, contact the South Carolina Insurance News Service at 803-252-3455 or use our contact form.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Upstate man pleads guilty to insurance fraud
July 30, 2010
Enjoy the ride on your golf cart or moped
July 29, 2010
How to File a Claim After Storm Damage
July 28, 2010
For News Service Members: Time to Register for the 2010 Annual Meeting and S.C. Legislative Conference
July 23, 2010
Lyman woman pleads guilty to insurance fraud
July 15, 2010
Myrtle Beach man pleads guilty to insurance fraud and arson
July 15, 2010
Myrtle Beach woman pleads guilty to insurance fraud
July 15, 2010
Don't let hurricane season blow your homeowners insurance off course
June 30, 2010
Lexington man pleads guilty to insurance fraud
June 30, 2010
PSAs on hurricane preparedness from the S.C. Insurance News Service provided
June 28, 2010
» News Room
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
