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Agents of the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) charged a Chester County man with failure to stop for blue lights, child endangerment and simple possession of marijuana following a traffic stop last month. Meanwhile, his underage passenger was hit with a pair of weapons charges.
According to a probable cause affidavit accompanying a warrant for his arrest, 19-year-old Matthew Cunningham fled from police after they attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a silver Nissan Altima related to a possible weapons violation.
As he fled, Cunningham drove into a school bus near the intersection of Saluda Street and JA Cochran Bypass – approximately a mile-and-a-half northeast of Chester, S.C. The bus was carrying two adults and a child – the latter of whom was taken to a nearby hospital as a precautionary measure.
Additionally, Cunningham had a 16-year-old male passenger in the vehicle with him. The juvenile was charged after the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice (SCDJJ) filed petitions on him for unlawful possession of a machine gun and unlawful possession of a handgun by a person under 18 years old.
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Following the collision, SLED and deputies with the Chester County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) arrested Cunningham and the 16-year-old at the scene, but both were taken to the hospital for injuries sustained during the crash. No law enforcement officials were involved in the crash or injured during the apprehension of the defendants.
Cunningham was booked into the Chester County detention center where he awaits prosecution by the S.C. sixth circuit solicitor’s office. The 16-year-old was released to a parent upon the advice of the solicitor’s office and has a hearing pending in family court.
SLED has not released any additional information regarding the arrests at this time, but count on FITSNews to provide any pertinent updates related to this case…
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THE RELEASE…
(SLED)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from J. L. Mann High School in 2021. She is currently a senior at the University of South Carolina majoring in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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1 comment
“The 16-year-old was released to a parent upon the advice of the solicitor’s office and has a hearing pending in family court.” Exsqueeze me?!?
The little POS had a MACHINE GUN and a handgun in his possession. Pretty sure SC 16-23-230 makes just the act of possessing a machine gun a felony with a 10-year sentence. The pistol is also a felony violation of SC 16-23-30 with a three-year sentence.