SC man accused of hitting, killing woman in wheelchair granted Christmas bond
Betty Jean Johnson, a double amputee, was riding along a York County road in her motorized scooter near her home Oct. 28. It was around 9 a.m. The weather was clear, the road straight, prosecutors said.
Johnson, 55, was on the way to the store while riding on S.C. 324 south of Rock Hill, prosecutors say. She even had a reflective vest hung on her wheelchair similar to what construction workers wear, officials said.
“She took this route all the time,” said Willy Thompson, 16th Circuit Deputy Solicitor, in court Monday.
Before she made it to the store, Johnson was run over and killed, officials say.
“She flew out of her wheelchair after she was hit,” Thompson said.
More, the driver accused of hitting Johnson did not stop to help her, police and prosecutors say.
“He should have stopped,” Thompson said.
Stanley Dale Hancock, 43, was arrested the next day. On Monday, his family appeared in court to ask for him to be released on bond in time for Christmas.
Before the arrest, troopers had sent out a statewide alert in South Carolina on Twitter social media seeking the vehicle and its driver.
Hancock was found hiding in a mobile home after York County Sheriff’s Office deputies and S.C. Highway Patrol troopers found paint and other crash materials matched Hancock’s SUV. Thompson said police officers with a K-9 team pursued Hancock, who tried to run away before being arrested.
“He’s shown that he’s flight risk and a danger to the community,” Thompson said.
Hancock is charged with hit and run resulting in death, public records show. He could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted, under South Carolina law.
A family member of Johnson, the victim, asked in court Monday that Hancock remain in jail.
Hancock has been in jail since he was arrested and is being held without bond. Monday in court, Hancock asked for bail to be set. His family said in court Hancock is a caring, decent man who should be home for Christmas.
Hancock did not speak in court. Hancock was in a wheelchair after a fall that happened in jail after his arrest, said his lawyer, Creighton Hayes.
York County Circuit Court Judge Dan Hall set a $10,000 bond for Hancock, yet included restrictions for bond that include GPS monitoring, house arrest, no driving, and no contact with the Johnson’s family.
No trial date has been set.
