Judge revokes bond for man accused in DUI death of Hilton Head bicyclist

The bond for a Hilton Head Island man accused of fleeing the scene of a crash that killed bicyclist Jeff Garske in August was revoked Thursday in Beaufort County Court.

Circuit Court Judge Michael Nettles revoked a $50,000 bond against Richard Alford, 64, and denied him additional bond after he was charged with driving under the influence on Wednesday evening. Around 5:10 p.m., the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office had received a report that Alford’s vehicle was swerving on westbound U.S. 278 in the area of Plantation Center.

Alford told Beaufort County deputies that he had been drinking and was going through a divorce, Deputy Solicitor Sean Thornton said Thursday in court.

Alford failed the horizontal gaze test given by deputies and was unable to perform other parts of the test because he is wheelchair bound. He also refused a Breathalyzer test, Thornton said.

“I think, in this case, it is pretty clear that the community is in imminent danger,” Thornton said. “A car is every bit as lethal as a gun when you are behind the wheel.”

Nettles said Alford’s Wednesday arrest violated the conditions of his bond set after he was charged with felony driving under the influence where death resulted and a hit-and-run resulting in Garske’s death on Aug. 18 as he rode his bicycle on Hilton Head’s Cross Island Parkway.

Nicholas Felix, a representative of the Garske family, read a statement written by Garske’s daughter, Kallie Abreu-Gonzalez.

“What happened to my dad was no accident,” she wrote. “It is a conscious decision to drink and drive. He has already repeated the choices he made the night he killed my father. ... He shattered our lives.”

Charles Mike Macloskie, Alford’s attorney, argued that Alford needs treatment for a medical condition and that treatment would be best served if he was not in custody.

He also said that a rehab facility Alford entered following his previous arrest was not able to accommodate him due to that condition.

Nettles explained to the court that he must consider danger to the community, flight risk and the weight of evidence that is against Alford when considering bond revocation.

After that consideration, Nettles said Alford could receive the alcohol rehabilitation treatment he needs while in the county’s custody.

Alford is being held at the Beaufort County Detention Center.

This story was originally published September 29, 2016 at 11:32 AM with the headline "Judge revokes bond for man accused in DUI death of Hilton Head bicyclist."