Crime

SC driver pleads guilty, sentenced to prison for DUI crash that killed 2 in Lancaster

A South Carolina prison inmate who was convicted of murder in the death of his Fort Mill neighbor at age 17 in 1973 and sentenced to 10 years to life is seeking parole.
A South Carolina prison inmate who was convicted of murder in the death of his Fort Mill neighbor at age 17 in 1973 and sentenced to 10 years to life is seeking parole. Getty Images/iStockphoto

A South Carolina man who was driving drunk and caused a double-fatal crash in Lancaster in 2021 was sentenced to 14 years in prison, according to prosecutors and court records.

Quinton L. Harris, 35, pleaded guilty Monday in Lancaster County criminal court to two counts of felony DUI resulting in death, said prosecutor Mike Burch, 6th Circuit senior solicitor.

Luis “Kiko” Hernandez-Gomez, 23, and Luis “Poncho” Gomez-Roman, 22, both of Lancaster, were killed in the crash, according to prosecutors and the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office.

Harris’s blood-alcohol level was .266 at the time of crash, Burch said after court in a phone interview with The Herald. The legal limit in South Carolina is .08.

The crash happened the day after Thanksgiving 2021 at the intersection of Meeting Street and Woodland Drive in Lancaster.

Harris received credit for about two years in jail pending trial, but must serve at least 85% of the 14-year sentence before he is eligible for release, Burch said.

Visiting Judge Heath Taylor of Orangeburg also sentenced to five years probation after he is released from prison, court records show.

Andrew Dys
The Herald
Andrew Dys covers breaking news and public safety for The Herald, where he has been a reporter and columnist since 2000. He has won 51 South Carolina Press Association awards for his coverage of crime, race, justice, and people. He is author of the book “Slice of Dys” and his work is in the U.S. Library of Congress.
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