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The mayor of a small town in rural South Carolina died in a vehicular crash on Tuesday afternoon, local officials are confirming.
George Garner, 49, the mayor of McColl, S.C., was killed in the crash – which took place on S.C. Highway 34 in Darlington County at approximately 2:40 p.m. EST on Tuesday (November 26, 2024). According to law enforcement, Garner – driving westbound in a Chevrolet Tahoe – veered into the oncoming lane and struck an eighteen-wheeler.
Both drivers were hospitalized in the aftermath of the collision, with Garner succumbing to his injuries.
Reporter Tonya Brown of WPDE TV 15 (ABC – Florence/Myrtle Beach, S.C.) noted that a deputy with the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) was said to have been pursuing the Tahoe at the time the crash occurred.
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Darlington Co. Coroner Todd Hardee confirms a man has died in the crash on Highway 34 in Darlington County.
— Tonya Brown (@TonyaWPDE) November 26, 2024
Hardee said the victim is from Marlboro Co
He added he'll release the name upon family notification.
Community members said law enforcement from Marlboro Co were on scene pic.twitter.com/Xe8ufL9Kti
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Troopers with the S.C. Highway Patrol (SCHP) are investigating the incident – which took place approximately seven-and-a-half miles east-northeast of Darlington, S.C. That’s roughly 25 miles southwest of McColl.
The crash took place just days after McColl police chief Bob Hale – and all four of the town’s police officers – resigned en masse from their posts in protest of budget cuts and allegations of a hostile work environment allegedly instigated by an unnamed town council member.
“I have endured unwarranted and malicious behavior aimed at undermining my integrity and leadership,” Hale said in a statement. “These actions have not only affected me personally but have also created a toxic atmosphere that has hindered the department’s ability to function effectively.”
Hale was McColl’s sixth police chief in the last four years. The mass resignations – which generated national headlines – left McColl without a single sworn law enforcement officer serving the town.
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In response to these developments, Garner told Brown his town offered MCSO a “sum of money” to provide round-the-clock law enforcement to the town of roughly 2,000 for the next thirty-six days. Within hours of announcing that agreement, however, the reported pursuit and ensuing crash took place.
Adding further intrigue to the situation? At the time of his death, Garner was part of an ongoing investigation led by the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
“SLED has an investigation that involves the late George Garner, Mayor of McColl,” agency public information director Renée Wunderlich told this media outlet late Tuesday. “SLED’s investigation is active and ongoing. No further information is available at this time.”
McColl – one of the shrinking rural towns of the Pee Dee – has shed roughly 20 percent of its population over the last quarter century. Located a stone’s throw from the North Carolina border, McColl is the home base of the Pee Dee tribe – from which the surrounding region draws its name. Approximately 350 of its 2,000 residents are Native Americans.
This is a developing story… please check back for updates.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven children.
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2 comments
Well, that is certainly interesting. Hopefully we will know soon why Gardener was involved in a pursuit.
Very interesting, indeed!