Crime & Courts

SC chicken plant saboteur has bond revoked after Clemson game day DUI

William Jason Taylor, right, 52, pleaded guilty in Columbia federal court on July 23 to using a computer to sabotage food cleaning operations at a Sumter chicken processing plant.
William Jason Taylor, right, 52, pleaded guilty in Columbia federal court on July 23 to using a computer to sabotage food cleaning operations at a Sumter chicken processing plant. celam@thestate.com

The disgruntled former employee who pleaded guilty to remotely dumping dangerous chemicals into a South Carolina chicken plant production line has seen his bond revoked following a DUI arrest after a Clemson football game.

William Jason Taylor was sentenced to six months in prison on Nov. 4 following his admission to sabotaging a plant that did business with his former employer, ChemStation, which provides remotely managed cleaning solutions to industrial facilities. The sentencing judge initially allowed Taylor to remain out on bond until at least Dec. 26, when he would have to self-report to federal prison.

But just days after his sentencing, Taylor was arrested by Clemson University Police and charged with DUI first offense with a blood alcohol content less than 0.10 — the legal limit in South Carolina is 0.08.

The day of Taylor’s arrest, Clemson University was playing Florida State at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium. A description of the incident included in court filings state that on Nov. 8, Taylor was trying to drive out of the Clemson stadium parking lot when he was stopped and questioned by a South Carolina Highway Patrol officer “regarding his sobriety.”

A Clemson University police office then had Taylor complete a field sobriety test. According to court records, Taylor failed the sobriety tests was taken into custody and refused to provide a breath sample. He was released on bond the next day.

On Nov. 17, a warrant was issued for Taylor’s arrest for violation of the conditions of his bond. On Thursday, Taylor’s bond was revoked by federal magistrate judge Kevin McDonald.

Taylor is still scheduled to appear in front of Clemson University Municipal Court for his DUI on Dec. 3, 2025.

Ted Clifford
The State
Ted Clifford is the statewide accountability reporter at The State Newspaper. Formerly the crime and courts reporter, he has covered the Murdaugh saga, state and federal court, as well as criminal justice and public safety in the Midlands and across South Carolina. He is the recipient of the 2023 award for best beat reporting by the South Carolina Press Association.
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