Lexington man pleads guilty to causing boat crash that killed 2 people, official says
A Lexington man pleaded guilty to causing a boat crash on the Broad River that killed two people in 2020, a South Carolina official said Wednesday.
On Monday, Dylan Yancey Steele pleaded guilty to two counts of DUI in a water device resulting in death, or BUI, said Brian King, a spokesman for the 8th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
Steele’s sentencing has been deferred, and he’s expected to return to court and receive a punishment on Oct. 10, according to King.
The maximum penalty on each charge is 25 years in prison and a $20,000 fine, according to South Carolina law.
Steele was also charged with two counts of reckless homicide by operation of a boat, but those charges were dismissed, King said.
The Crash
On Aug. 1, 2020, two Jon boats collided at about 9 p.m. in a section of the Broad River that’s near Hill Creek, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources previously told The State.
Steele was driving one of three boats that was part of the same group on the river, according to DNR. While the other vessels in the party in front of Steele stopped to make sure no other boats were coming, he ran over the second boat, going over the top of the other watercraft, DNR said.
Chapin resident Jamie Lindler, 27, and Irmo’s Andrew Bunnell, 28, were on board that second boat and were killed in the collision, Newberry County Coroner Laura Kneece said.
The Victims
They were a couple, and in their separate obituaries each was called the love of the other’s life. A joint visitation for Lindler and Bunnell was held at the Caughman-Harman Funeral Home’s Chapin Chapel, according to the obituaries.
No other injuries were reported from the boat crash.
This was not the first time Steele was arrested for a crime he committed while behind the wheel of a vehicle.
Lexington County court records show over the past six years, Steele has been arrested multiple times and paid fines for traffic infractions, including driving too fast for conditions and seat belt violations.
The Delay
His sentencing has been delayed because he’s scheduled to have surgery for injuries he suffered when a golf cart he was riding crashed, King said. Steele was on crutches when he appeared in court Monday.
“Sentencing was deferred to allow the defendant to take care of unrelated medical issues,” King said.
Until he’s sentenced, the conditions of Steele’s bond, set at a combined $20,000, will continue to be enforced.
The 8th Circuit Solicitor prosecuted the case because the collision happened in Newberry County. The solicitor’s jurisdiction also includes parts of Abbeville, Greenwood, and Laurens counties.
Monday’s plea took place in a Laurens County court.
Steele’s attorney is Alexandra Benevento, Newberry County court records show.
BEHIND THE STORY
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This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 12:21 PM with the headline "Lexington man pleads guilty to causing boat crash that killed 2 people, official says."
