Sheldon man arrested after crashing stolen SUV

Man charged with public disorderly conduct after being found in woods near crash

A Sheldon man arrested after allegedly stealing an SUV on Tuesday was caught after crashing the vehicle and running away from the accident scene, according to a report from the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies were called to a single-vehicle accident at the intersection of U.S. 17 and U.S. 21 around 9:45 p.m. by a bystander who said he found the 37-year-old man having trouble breathing, according to Sheriff's Office spokesman Capt. Bob Bromage.

When EMS approached the crash scene, he ran into the nearby woods. Deputies found blood on a concrete barrier the man leapt over and blood inside the crashed GMC Jimmy, the report said.

As deputies called in a K9 team to assist in the search for the driver, the SUV's owner arrived on scene. The woman was notified of the accident by a friend who had seen it and called to make sure she was safe, the report said.

The woman said her SUV had been parked outside her home around 6:30 p.m., but that she had kept the keys inside the unlocked vehicle, the report said.

Deputies found the man walking near the treeline along Flora Drive up U.S. 17 from the accident scene, his mouth bloodied and his teeth stained red. He told them he was walking home from Charleston and did not know about an accident, the report said.

After being walked back to the accident scene, the man admitted he had been drinking and began to yell profanities. Deputies arrested him and charged him with public disorderly conduct, the report said.

Although he admitted to taking the vehicle, the man was not charged with grand larceny after the SUV's owner declined to pursue charges, Bromage said.

Additional charges from the S.C. Highway Patrol may be forthcoming, he said.

Follow reporter Matt McNab on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Matt.

This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 8:24 PM with the headline "Sheldon man arrested after crashing stolen SUV."