A man has been sentenced to 74 years in prison after being convicted following a Lexington County home invasion and rape.

Tamar Nance, 32, was found guilty in the 2021 crime committed against a 74-year-old woman.

According to a release, Circuit Court Judge Debra R. McCaslin ordered that his sentences run consecutively to total an active sentence of 74 years to match the age of his victim. He is not eligible for parole.

“The victim was awakened during the night by an intruder in the bedroom of her apartment on Crossbow Drive in the Harbison area of Lexington County,” a release from the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office states. “The intruder was wearing a mask while inside of the apartment and stole a bank card belonging to the victim. The assailant threatened the victim and warned her not to call the police. 

“The victim contacted a neighbor following the assault and a 911 call was placed at 6:08 am. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital for a sexual assault evidence collection kit. Columbia Police Department processed the crime scene for evidence. Video surveillance was obtained from nearby roadways which led to the identification of a white Chevy Malibu leaving the area of the victim’s neighborhood shortly after the assault.”

The release notes that Columbia Police developed Nance as a suspect through video surveillance from numerous businesses, later confirming he drives a white Malibu with unique markings that are the same as the vehicle seen leaving the scene of the crime. 

“Forensic scientists at the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) were able to develop a DNA profile from evidence recovered during the victim’s sexual assault exam,” the release states. “The DNA profile from the victim’s sexual assault exam was determined to be a match to Nance, who had previously been entered into the SLED DNA database in 2012” 

“Following his arrest, Nance’s cell phone was seized from his person,” the release continues. “An extraction of the phone by Sgt. Mike Phipps of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department revealed photographs that had been taken by Nance during the burglary of the victim’s apartment, including photos of personal identifying documents belonging to the victim.”

Nance’s trial lasted five days, from Jan. 23 to 27.

He was found guilty of first degree burglary, criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and financial transaction card theft.

Deputy Solicitor Suzanne Mayes and Assistant Solicitor Whitney Yongue Taylor prosecuted the case.

“We appreciate the hard work and dedication of law enforcement during this investigation. These investigators worked long hours to solve this crime and bring Nance to justice,” Mayes is quoted.

The release notes that Nance has previous convictions for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine (2012) and financial transaction card fraud in (2017) and “was previously convicted of trespassing in Richland County following a 2015 offense where he was charged with removing a screen window from an apartment unit where a 63 year old female resided.”

“Nance currently has pending charges in Richland County for burglary, assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct, and kidnapping, which are alleged to have occurred in Columbia on Jan. 12, 2021, five months before the crimes in Lexington County occurred,” the release states.

Nance was transported to the state Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.