SPARTANBURG COUNTY MAN RECEIVES 15-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE FOR BREAK-IN

A Spartanburg County man received a 15-year prison sentence today after a jury decided that he stole two knives and a box from a local home.

Bryon Bright, 38, was found guilty of first-degree burglary and petty larceny at the conclusion of a day-long trial. He will serve 85 percent of the prison sentence before he is eligible for release.

The burglary occurred July 22, 2006 at the home of Gerald J. Harblin, 790 Spring St. Harblin and his wife arrived home about 6:45 p.m. and saw Bright carrying a red box was he walked away from the dwelling. The box had a knife in it. He carried a second stolen knife in his pocket. Bright gave the stolen property back to Harblin and walked away from the scene before sheriff’s deputies arrived.

A day after the crime, a concerned citizen told sheriff’s deputies they thought Bright had been acting suspicious. The complaint matched the physical description that Harblin gave following the break-in. Harblin later identified Bright in a photo line-up, according to Assistant Solicitor Bob Coler.

Bright’s criminal record included five prior convictions for burglary, larceny, drug and other property offenses.