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A criminal defense attorney who previously ran for the top prosecutorial position in York and Union counties was arrested last Friday afternoon following a single-vehicle crash, according to troopers with the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS).
D. Tyler Bratton, an attorney with Axelrod & Associates, P.A., was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) first offense following an alleged broad daylight crash on February 27, 2026.
According to a master trooper with SCDPS, troopers were dispatched at approximately 2:32 p.m. EST to the intersection of Nivens Road and South Shiloh Road in reference to a single-vehicle collision.
Upon arrival, troopers determined a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado traveling on Nivens Road went through the intersection at South Shiloh Road, left the roadway and struck a tree.
Troopers later identified the driver as Bratton.
“After further investigation, [Bratton] was subsequently placed under arrest for driving under the influence,” SCDPS said in a statement.
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Bratton refused both field sobriety testing and a Datamaster breath test following the crash, according to SCDPS.
Authorities further confirmed that he was transported to the Moss Justice Center Detention Facility, where records show he was booked before 6:00 p.m. EST.
Because his arrest occurred early in the afternoon, Bratton was able to appear before Magistrate Walton H. Beck later the same day – and was released on a $992 personal recognizance bond.
As of this publishing, Bratton remains listed as a criminal defense attorney with Axelrod & Associates in Rock Hill, where his practice includes defending clients accused of DUI and drug-related offenses.
Prior to entering private practice, Bratton served more than a decade as an assistant solicitor in South Carolina’s fifteenth judicial circuit, according to his LinkedIn profile.
In June 2024, Bratton appeared on the Republican primary ballot for solicitor of the sixteenth judicial circuit, which includes York County… where he was arrested last Friday.
A graduate of Clemson University and the Charleston School of Law, Bratton also identifies as Presbyterian in his online legal biography.
Write to Andrew Fancher at andy@fitsnews.com.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy Award–winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. He joined FITSNews in 2023 after leaving an NBC affiliate, where he served as on-air talent. His reporting focuses on public corruption in South Carolina, with an emphasis on law enforcement misconduct and abuse of power.
6 comments
How interesting. I wonder what happened with the former York County Sheriff and his single vehicle accident?
He paid the $232.50 fine on Nov. 24, 2025 and pled no contest on Jan. 05, 2026. The case is closed.
Wow he got one heck of a deal. Must have been a case of ” Professional Courtesy “.
What’s with the Derek Zoolander Blue Steel booking photo?
Presbyterian? I’m guessing PCUSA.
Look up a case involving that Axelrod & Associates law firm where, in a death penalty case, their co-counsel refused to share the defense table with them or something due to that law firm’s reputation for dishonesty or something.