Deputy ran stop sign in crash that killed mother and 2 daughters, SC sheriff says
A sheriff’s deputy has been charged with three counts of reckless homicide in connection with a Mother’s Day crash that killed a mother and her two adult daughters, according to a South Carolina sheriff’s office.
The deputy, Emily Pelletier, was traveling 73 miles per hour and ran a stop sign when she struck the victims’ Toyota sedan on May 8, according to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office. Pelletier was responding to a call at the time.
The sheriff’s office terminated Pelletier on June 10, according to a statement.
Stephania Dantzler, 53, and her daughters, Shanice Dantzler-Williams, 28, and Miranda Dantzler-Williams, 22, died on scene at around 11 p.m., according to the Charleston County Coroner. They were the only three people in the car.
Pelletier was injured in the crash but recovered, according to the sheriff’s department.
Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano said during a news conference on June 8 that highway patrol was still working on its final report about the crash. The sheriff appeared before news cameras with members of the Dantzler-Williams family.
“I will tell you that our hearts are broken for this family because they don’t deserve to be standing here, and we are saddened by this,” Graziano said.
A woman who said she was Stephania Dantzler’s mother said that her daughter used to call her when she got off work and talk to her until she got home.
“I can’t hear that no more,” she said.
She said that Shanice Dantzler-Williams worked as an accounting manager and was pursuing her master’s degree and that Miranda Dantzler-Williams had just graduated from college.
“I’m crying in my sleep,” she said.
Miranda Dantzler-Williams’ school, Claflin University, posted a tribute to her on Facebook in May. The 22-year-old had graduated with a criminal justice degree on May 7, and her mother and sister had attended her commencement ceremony, the university wrote.
Graziano said that the sheriff’s department was working to address road safety concerns. She said one initial change is for cameras inside sheriff’s office vehicles to be programmed to automatically turn on at 80 miles per hour.
“When we’re responding to calls, we have a duty to uphold the law and to get where we need to go as safely as possible,” she said.
This story was originally published June 8, 2022 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Deputy ran stop sign in crash that killed mother and 2 daughters, SC sheriff says."