close
close
Amid controversy, S.C. mayor has died after a car accident

DARLINGTON COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – A mayor of a Pee Dee town is dead after a car accident Tuesday afternoon.

According to Darlington County Coroner Todd Hardee, McColl Mayor George Garner was killed in a two-vehicle crash on Cashua Ferry Road.

It happened around 2:40 p.m., nine miles outside Darlington.

Garner, 49, was driving westbound in a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe when he veered into the eastbound lane and collided head-on with an 18-wheeler.

The coroner said Marlboro County officials pursued Garner leading up to the crash.

According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, Garner died at McLeod Regional Medical Center from injuries sustained in the crash. The truck driver was also injured.

Garner’s death comes at a time of controversy for the town of 2,000 that sits on the North Carolina state line.

On November 21, the township’s five-member police force resigned. Former boss Bob Hale said in a Facebook message that a hostile work environment and inadequate funding were partly to blame for the move.

“This lack of investment impacted our ability to meet the standards that the citizens of the City of McColl rightly expect and deserve,” he said in the post. “The safety of residents and the well-being of officers should have been prioritized by providing the necessary resources to build a department capable of handling the complexities of 21st century policing.” Unfortunately, this was not the case Case and I have spent the majority of my tenure as police chief clearing the names of my officers and myself from the numerous falsehoods that have been made against us.”

At 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, a message posted on McColl’s administration Facebook page said the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office was on the case around the clock and was accepting applications to fill the vacancies .

Calls to several City Council members Tuesday were not immediately returned.

This is a developing story. Count on News13 for updates.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *