Driver arrested after leaving scene of deadly collision on Midlands road, SC cops say
The driver wanted in a fatal hit-and-run on a Midlands road was arrested Wednesday, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Timothy James Thompson was charged with leaving the scene with death, Master Trooper Gary Miller said.
The collision happened early Sunday when a pedestrian was killed after being run over by a 2004 Chevrolet Impala driven by Thompson, the Highway Patrol said.
The Chevy was heading west on 11th Street in Winnsboro about 1 a.m. when it ran off the road to the right and mounted the sidewalk, hitting and killing the pedestrian near the intersection with Maple Street, according to Miller. That’s about 30 miles north of Columbia.
The Fairfield County Coroner’s Office identified the pedestrian as 33-year-old Bruce Antonio Gibbs of Winnsboro, WIS reported.
Thompson is being held in the Fairfield County Detention Center, according to Miller.
Information on what caused the Chevy to veer off the road was not available, but the crash remains under investigation by Highway Patrol.
If convicted, Thompson faces a maximum punishment of 25 years in prison and a $25,000 fine, according to South Carolina law.
Thompson is also facing a third-degree domestic violence charge from a January arrest, Fairfield County court records show.
In 2010, Thompson was convicted of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, and his four-year sentence was suspended to 475 days and three years of probation, according to court records. In 2012, Thompson pleaded guilty to committing or attempting a lewd act upon a child under 16, and his 15-year sentence was suspended to time served, court records show.
Through Wednesday afternoon, 654 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2020 — and 106 were pedestrians, according to the Department of Public Safety.
This is the ninth traffic fatality reported in Fairfield County this year, and the first involving a pedestrian, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 7:11 AM with the headline "Driver arrested after leaving scene of deadly collision on Midlands road, SC cops say."
