EFFINGHAM, SC (WBTW) – The Florence County Sheriff’s Office says deputies arrested a man who reportedly set someone on fire and threatened to bomb several government buildings.
Major Mike Nunn with the sheriff’s office says deputies arrested Arbie Hugh Turner, 37, of Effingham, on Tuesday. Turner reportedly set a person on fire while the victim was asleep inside a home on Cato Road.
Investigators say Turner also sent text messages threatening to “use an explosive device to cause destruction to four government buildings” in the area with a goal of killing numerous people. Investigators and SWAT searched Turner’s home but didn’t find bomb-making materials or devices, Major Nunn confirms.
Turner is charged with assault and battery first degree and four counts of making a bomb threat.
Under South Carolina law, making a false bomb threat is a felony that can result in one to ten years in prison. Turner is being held at the Florence County Detention Center pending a bond hearing.
