Beaufort woman charged in hit-and-run of two teens

Two teenagers riding a moped were injured after a hit-and-run accident on Ribaut Road in Beaufort on Saturday night.

An 18-year-old male and a 17-year-old female were struck by a 31-year-old Beaufort woman driving an SUV around 10:30 p.m., according to Beaufort Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Hope Able. Their injuries did not appear to be life-threatening at the scene, she said. They were transported to Beaufort Memorial Hospital for treatment.

The SUV driver was detained in Beaufort County Detention Center shortly after 1 a.m. on Sunday and faces misdemeanor charges of leaving the scene of an accident and failure to render aid, according to online jail records. She was released on personal recognizance shortly after 10 a.m. on Sunday.

Both vehicles were traveling south on Ribaut Road when the woman allegedly struck the teens near 854 Ribaut Road, throwing them from the moped, Able said. The woman’s SUV dragged the moped to 955 Ribaut Road, approximately 0.4 miles down the road.

Witnesses told police they saw an SUV hit the curb twice and then saw one of the victims on the side of the road, Able said. “It was unclear initially to witnesses that a moped was involved due to the fact the SUV was dragging it down the road,” Able said.

The victims told police they were hit by a small green SUV and provided the South Carolina license plate which led police to the suspect, according to a police report.

This story was originally published February 20, 2017 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Beaufort woman charged in hit-and-run of two teens."