AIKEN --- A 53-year-old Beech Island woman was arrested Friday afternoon by the South Carolina Highway Patrol, accused in last week's hit-and-run that killed a Beech Island man riding his bicycle.
Christine Bryant was in jail on a charge of leaving the scene of an accident with death. Lance Cpl. Trevor Clinton said investigators received a tip that led to a search of the property where a 1996 green Saturn sedan owned by the suspect was discovered.
"She attempted to conceal the accident by burning the car," he said.
Noel Barrett, 43, of Beech Island, was struck from behind, Aiken County Coroner Tim Carl ton said. The crash occurred on Urquhart Drive about seven miles south of North Augusta just after midnight July 15. Mr. Barrett died at the scene.
The rider was wearing a dark shirt and gray jogging pants, and his bicycle had no lights. Lance Cpl. Clinton said investigators believe the hit-and-run was an accident and that Ms. Bryant panicked.
Investigators said they don't know where Ms. Bryant was coming from when the crash occurred.
"We do know ... that she was stopped 30 minutes prior to the collision by one of the local troopers and cited for a traffic violation," Lance Cpl. Clinton said.
The investigation and Ms. Bryant's arrest was a joint effort involving the highway patrol, the Aiken County Sheriff's Office and the State Law Enforcement Division.
Reach Michelle Guffey at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or michelle.guffey@augustachronicle.com
Comments
Good job running down this driver. However, the rider was wearing a black shirt, gray pants and riding a bike with no lights at midnight on a paved road. Sounds a lot like suicide. Wonder why the driver burned her car. Sounds like goofiness. The CSRA may have some odd people living here.
uh, yeah, definately some odd people living in the csra, hope you added your name to that list Patricia
It doesn't matter, it is still a death that the driver clearly didn't even stop after hitting him. I hope they charge her with vehicle homicide.
And what was the prior violation the driver had just gotten? Was she drunk? I don't know, but perhaps if she had been "detained", the deceased would still be with his family today...Just what did she think she hit anyway, a dog? I can't believe she didn't stop and call for help, the guy may have made it...I also hope she is charged to the fullest extent of the law....
chatty, if riding after dark in dark clothes on a dark road with a bike with no lights is normal, I'm glad to be odd.
DE2, the woman probably won't be charged with vehicle homicide because it's a womans right to choose to burn her car, but she may well be charged with vehicular homicide since she left the scene of a fatal accident and tried to hide her involvement.
Pat, I would agree with you on this, and still hope the person is charged accordingly. I know this woman KNEW she hit someone, otherwise, why would she go through the trouble of hiding the evidence? She may have been drunk while driving, but regardless, she knew she hit someone and didn't even stop. Yes, it is sad when people are still not educated on riding bikes at night or refuse to follow safety rules, and it is tragic, as some still don't ride on the correct side of the road, no helmet, no safety gear, and it only costs a couple of dollars for reflective tape for the bike folks!
I'd bet money she was drunk!!!.. If not it may have been a total accident and the bike riders fault to boot... but to leave the scene is bad enough... to burn your car to hide the evidence is almost proof enough she was drunk or something to have acted so wrong. If it was a simple accident, she would not have went through all the trouble to hide it!! Wonder if she had other dui's..hmmm
IF she was drunk, the cop would not of let her continue to drive.
DUI = a trip to jail, no exceptions.
it is not our place in life to judge, or speculate on what we think might have happened. all i know is that my heart goes out to both families and may god bless them all.
yeah right, they have never let one go. lol but you are right, probably wasn't alcohol, but she does not have to be sloppy drunk, she could have been tipsy just a lil impaired or impaired from something else like maybe she was hiding drugs smoked some after she got a ticket, either way I think there is more to it than a simple accident than she was just scared so went home.. she wasn't a scared lil teenager she was a grown woman who may have not even been at fault.. .unless she did indeed have something to hide. I can't say I wouldn't be scared and go home, but I would eventually call the police not get rid of eveidence. I would have called for help for the man immediately to attempt to save his life, my concious would not let me do anything other!! it just sounds like there was more to it. Maybe some people are just that cold, It just seems hard to believe they would just leave them and try to hide it for no reason, but It does happen.
I agree with precious30909. But we can ask everyone to please be more careful. We are losing too many people on these roads no matter who is or is not at fault, if anybody.
I have never thought of burning a car as a method of dent repair!! Maybe that would explain why my body shop repair bill is so high. Seriously, did this woman think that setting the car on fire would hide collision damage? I don't care how "scared" this woman was, anyone with a conscience would not be able to do this. This was not a scared kid but a grown woman who should have known better. I hope that DA Ashley Wright charges felony 1st drgree vehicular homicide and prosecutes to the fullest. Had she stayed at the scene she most likely would not be facing charges due to the nature of this accident. However leaving the scene of an accident with death changes everything.
First of all I would like to say that all of you who have judged and crucified this woman need to be ashamed of yourselves. None of us really knows what happened that night and you cant automatically assume that she was drunk. What if the road was dark and she didnt know what she hit, what if she didn't have a cell phone to report she had hit something. What we need to be doing is praying for the family of the deceased and for the woman accused. May God be with all of you.
Sorry folks but if you had ever been down that road before he was hit where the road was straight, no curves. And she drug his body over 100 '. Give me a break she new what she had done and to me it looks like maybe she had a little help with the burning of the car otherwise how did she get back home? And from the grapevine in Beech Island she was doing a lot of drugs. And I was also told she use to be a nurse. And if she was on her way home then she was on the wrong side of the road.
I say lets take a car and run her over and see how she feels. This woman has some major issues. This is straight up manslaughter.
Sons Of Sam
http://sonsofsam-gluttony.blogspot.com/
Making America Better Since 1622
Yes, she hit something. A metal object a bike-not a deer. Don't you think she heard the bike hitting the car? And if she drug him 100 ft. a few sparks? huh? And burning the car-come on folks. i'm calling NANCY GRACE.lol
Two idiots. One is dead and the other one may go to jail.
She was not a nurse. She was a secretary.
But the important thing is that a person is dead and two families are forever changed. I just hope the complete truth is known so the proper punishment can be applied.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012. All Rights Reserved.
