Nationwide — Donald Harper Jr., a 35-year-old inmate in South Carolina, received an extra 15 years in prison after throwing feces at a correctional officer. The attack left the officer needing immediate medical care and extended Harper’s release date by 15 years.
On January 11, 2025, a correctional officer was delivering meals inside McCormick Correctional Institution. When Harper was handed his dinner, he threw a cup of feces directly into the officer’s face. The matter struck the officer’s eyes and mouth, forcing him to get urgent treatment and medical monitoring for possible infections.
According to Cleveland 19, Harper later pleaded guilty to throwing bodily fluids on a correctional officer. During sentencing, Assistant Solicitor Doug Fender asked for the maximum penalty, citing Harper’s criminal history and disciplinary issues inside the South Carolina Department of Corrections. A judge agreed and added 15 years to Harper’s sentence.
Harper’s background in Richland County includes voluntary manslaughter, armed robbery, second-degree burglary, breach of peace, and pointing and presenting a firearm. In 2015, he shot and killed a Benedict College instructor in Columbia and was sentenced to 24 years in prison.
Before this latest case, Harper was set to leave prison in 2036. The new sentence must be served after his current term, pushing his projected release date to 2051. He remains housed at McCormick prison.