Former Columbia Resident Pleads Guilty to Threatening Senator Darrell Jackson

COLUMBIA, SC—United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that Dalton Lee Mackenzee, age 45, of Columbia, pled guilty on April 5, 2011, in federal court to making a threatening telephone call to South Carolina State Senator Darrell Jackson, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 875(c). United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. Sentencing has been set for April 29, 2011. Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on March 13, 2010, Mackenzee left a series of phone messages directed at Senator Jackson on the voice mail system of the Bible Way Church of Atlas Road, where Senator Jackson is the senior pastor. In the last of these messages, Mackenzee stated “Let’s say that I have a huge bomb. I’m a bomber, right. I got some C-4 and I just want to blow your s___ up, right, f___ing kill you and explode your [unintelligible] all over the G__ D___ state house.” Mackenzee left his name and phone number on several of the calls. Telephone company records corroborated the fact that Mackenzee made the calls from Galveston, Texas, where Mackenzee was living at the time.

Mr. Nettles stated the maximum penalty Mackenzee can receive is a fine of $250,000 and/or imprisonment for five years, plus a special assessment of $100.

The case was investigated by agents of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Dean A. Eichelberger of the Columbia office handled the case.