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A freshman deputy of the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) bears the blame for rear-ending and hospitalizing an alleged member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC), according to law enforcement officers familiar with the incident.
On Wednesday (April 10, 2024), LCSO deputy “B.C.” was traveling northbound on U.S. Route 221 when he purportedly failed to see a 2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide motorcycle turning into a residential driveway in Enoree, S.C.
“The deputy was hauling ass,” wrote an eye-witness. “His blue lights were off when he struck the biker who was in the process of making a right turn into a driveway … The bike’s turn signal was on when the deputy rear-ended him.”
Damages noted by troopers of the S.C. Highway Patrol (SCHP) indicate that B.C. attempted to avoid the collision by swerving into the motorcycle’s turn path — thereafter broadsiding the Harley and pummeling its 63-year-old rider into a mailbox.
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“The patrol car was damaged from the front left fender to the driver’s side door,” said SCHP master trooper Brandon Bolt, public information officer for Troop Two. “I don’t want to assume or infer … but I will say this: The deputy was charged with going too fast for conditions.”
While SCHP estimates that B.C. struck the motorcyclist at 49 mph, the agency made no mention of the rider’s purported affiliation with HAMC — the largest, most organized, and wealthiest “outlaw motorcycle gang” in the world.
“The bike is probably totaled,” wrote someone familiar with the incident. “The biker is pretty beat up and broke his leg. But he’s doing pretty good considering it could have been so much worse … LCSO is shit and needs to change.”
FITSNews has since reached out to Laurens County sheriff Don Reynolds for so little as an acknowledgment of Wednesday’s collision. Unfortunately, the incumbent sheriff maintained his time-honored tradition of declining to respond to emails from this author.
Frequent readers of FITSNews are undoubtedly aware of our ongoing coverage of LCSO — a dog-killing, dick-pic-disseminating, cover-up-addled, constitutionally challenged department led by a former SCHP trooper once accused of threatening to kill his ex-wife.
While the two-term sheriff was not available for comment on his deputy’s purported collision, Reynolds’ sole opponent in the primary election — retired Clinton Police Department (CPD) lieutenant Chris Wilkes — responded to FITSNews over the weekend.
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“Nothing comes as a shock under this administration anymore,” wrote Wilkes on Sunday. “As Sheriff, my first course of action would be to respond to the hospital to speak with the victim, make sure they are okay, and apologize for our negligence. I am so thankful the victim in this incident did not lose their life, and I pray for a speedy recovery.”
With a whopping 128 fatal collisions from 2018 to 2021, Laurens remains the ninth most dangerous county for drivers in the United States, according to a sweeping investigation recently conducted by the Florida-based Law Firm of Anidjar & Levine, P.A.
“The Sheriff’s office only receives driver training once a year; why?” questioned Wilkes. “Deputies drive daily; why are we not training at least every three months? Yes, the Deputy may have been the one who struck the individual, but the blame is on the current administration due to a lack of training.”
On June 11, 2024, GOP voters in Laurens County will choose between Reynolds and Wilkes as their highest law-enforcement officer. The incumbent has abstained from political debates throughout the entirety of his career, and it appears as though his policy remains unbroken.
Of interest? The injured biker’s family tells FITSNews that neither Reynolds nor anyone from his department has reached out following Wednesday’s incident. Our media outlet has since deployed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for B.C.’s body-worn and dash-mounted cameras.
If you know of similar cases that deserve investigative scrutiny, please reach out to this author. FITSNews is not only committed to exposing nefarious activity within government — but steadfast in holding our law enforcement officers as accountable as they hold the public.
This story may be updated.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW FANCHER
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CHRIS WILKES STATEMENT …
(Provided)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy award-winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. Cut from a bloodline of outlaws and lawmen alike, he was the first of his family to graduate college which was accomplished with honors. Got a story idea or news tip for Andy? Email him directly and connect with him socially across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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5 comments
Distracted driving is taught during training right? I mean cops are always on their phones and or computers while driving and I assume they have professional training to accomplish such a feat us mortals are told is illegal.
Of course my assumption might just make an ass out of me and you.
The army of 88’s are a special breed don’t you know.
I find it unconscionable that no one from Lauren’s County Sheriff’s Dept has reached out to, or checked on, the victim. Despite their reputation, 1% bikers can be amazingly forgiving if shown due respect and sincere concern. Treat them like sh-t and you will probably get it back, about like any other person. I too, pray for the victim to have a speedy and full recovery, as well as replacement of his ride.
I will say the challenging candidate for Sheriff sounds like a bit of an opportunist given some of what he is saying. Driver training (Emergency Vehicle Operation) every three months? Are you serious? That is just silly and political grandstanding at its zenith. Once a year is more than enough, especially for a smaller department. The process is not only time consuming, pulling deputies away from their normal duties or interrupting their days off, it puts wear and tear on the vehicles used in the EVO which at a minimum will likely need a brake job after use in such training.
Quarterly driver training is about as ridiculous as quarterly firearms qualification. Either you can shoot or you can’t. Wasting ammo, time, and other resources is not going to change that. Likewise, either you can drive or you can’t. Placing extra wear and tear on vehicles, tires, brakes, transmissions, engines, and wasting more time that deputies could be on the road actually working, will not change that. Neither will it change lapses in attention which can and will occur with the best driver, especially when they happen at an inopportune time such as when a motorist in front of you is slowing down to make a lawful right turn.
Sh-t happens.
I’m sorry that had to happen to someone that was of course as speaking of the man on the motorcycle scooter obviously doing as the law requires.The officer is blind and needs to be removed from the force.This is so serious.He needs to turn in his badge.We understand that going blind is sad, but we do have to observe that it’s not fair for a blind cop to be on the field.Look what happened.?
Where’s the dashcam video? 63 year old Hells Angel, he was probably going home for his Metamucil.
Yeah Twinky. You got a problem with that or something?