A Charleston County Sheriff’s Deputy is set to be charged following the deaths of three women on May 8.
On Tuesday Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano revealed during a news conference that Deputy Emily Pelletier was at fault, and charges relating to the crash were “forthcoming.”
All three women died.
The fatal crash occurred May 8, Mother’s Day, at 10:55 p.m. on Savannah Highway in Charleston, South Carolina.
Stephanie Dantzler, 53, and her two daughters Shanice Dantzler-Williams, 28 and Miranda Dantzler-Williams, 22, were killed when their vehicle collided with a Charleston County deputy’s vehicle.
The accident happened as Pelletier was said to be responding to a call in the area. The deputy suffered only minor injuries.
At the she was placed on administrative leave with pay while an internal investigation took place.
Less than a month after the accident, Graziano reported on the findings of the investigation and announced that Pelletier was at fault and she would face charges.
During a press conference she revealed that while they only recently completed the investigation, the accident report didn’t explicitly say the Dantzler family wasn’t at fault, and that troubled her.
“We knew that hours after the accident, and it bothered me and it troubled me a little bit that that information was not relayed on the piece of paper,” she said.
“There’s no doubt about the facts, I think we all agree on the facts,” Graziano said. “She ran a stop sign and collided with, hit the vehicle that was driven by Shanice. She struck the vehicle, there’s no doubt about that.”
Although dash cam footage was unable to be recovered, according to reports, Pelletier was driving 73 mph and without blue lights or her siren when she sped through the stop sign.
“When we’re responding to calls, we have a duty to uphold the law and to get where we need to go as safely as possible. When you call 9-1-1, you should have a deputy respond and get to you as quickly as possible and as safely as possible. That is our No. 1 priority,” Graziano said.
Pelletier is currently facing three charges of reckless homicide, and warrants have been issued for her arrest.
One person’s decision changed an entire family’s life forever, and now they will hopefully take responsibility for it.
My prayers are still with the Dantzler-Williams family during this extremely difficult time.
