Prosecutor: Fort Mill man was DUI when he killed Rock Hill Army vet on motorcycle
A Fort Mill man who was driving drunk when he hit and killed a motorcyclist in Rock Hill has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to court officials and records.
Freddy Sanders, 64, pleaded guilty in court Wednesday to felony DUI with death, said Matthew Shelton, 16th Circuit assistant solicitor.
Sherman Smith, 26, died in July while riding a motorcycle on Main Street in the Boyd Hill neighborhood. Sanders was driving a pickup truck when he struck Smith’s motorcycle, Shelton said.
Sanders blood alcohol level at the time of the crash was .17, Shelton said. That is more than double the legal limit under South Carolina law. The legal limit in South Carolina. is .08.
Smith was a U.S. Army veteran and graduate of Northwestern High School who was beloved by his family and many in Rock Hill, Shelton said. A memorial to Smith remains near the crash site west of downtown.
Sanders had been jailed since his arrest shortly after the July crash. He received credit for 124 days in jail toward the 10-year sentence, South Carolina court records show.
