Bluffton man charged with DUI in Beaufort crash that killed stepmom and 7-year-old boy
A Bluffton man was charged with two felony counts of driving under the influence in the fatal Beaufort crash that killed a stepmother and her 7-year-old stepson earlier in July.
James Bush, 44, was booked in the Beaufort County Detention Center just before noon Friday, according to the online jail log.
Bush was discharged from Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston earlier Friday and was picked up by Port Royal Police officers, who transported him back to Beaufort, said Maj. Ron Wekenmann of the Port Royal Police Department.
Bush is charged in the July 7 crash that killed Caleb Brown, 7, of St. Helena Island, and Ronda Lashawn Brown, 48, of Beaufort.
Bush is accused of driving the Sable that accelerated through a red light when it struck a white Nissan Maxima driven by Brown, according to police reports. The Nissan flipped and caught fire, entrapping the boy.
The crash occurred around 9:30 p.m. at the intersection of S.C. 170 and Savannah Highway, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Before the crash, Bush is accused of leading a deputy on a high-speed chase when he failed to stop as he was being pulled over for an improper right turn on red. He was turning onto Boundary Street from Robert Smalls Parkway, according to a sheriff’s office report. The chase ended 13 minutes before the crash.
In addition to the two felony counts of driving under the influence with death, Bush was also charged with failure to stop for a blue light and improper lane change for the incidents before the crash.
Sheriff’s Office Maj. Bob Bromage previously told the Island Packet the deputy ended the chase four minutes after it started at 9:18 p.m., due to public safety concerns.
According to witness accounts, the Sable driven by Bush made a U-turn after the Broad River Bridge and was heading toward Beaufort when the crash occurred — the opposite direction of the earlier pursuit, Bromage previously told the Island Packet.
A Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report said a deputy smelled “the odor of consumed alcohol emitting” from Bush after the crash. The report also noted the driver’s speech was slurred and that his eyes were bloodshot and “extremely” glossy.
Bush, who was the solo occupant of the Sable, was in the hospital for the past few weeks after sustaining injuries from the crash.
He could serve up to 25 years in prison for each felony DUI charge, according to South Carolina law.
Teresa Moss contributed to this report.
This story was originally published July 26, 2019 at 3:57 PM.
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