A 39-year-old Beech Island man died Sunday morning after a deputy pursuit that began in Georgia and crossed the Savannah River into South Carolina ended with his Cadillac overturned near Sandbar Ferry and Williston roads. Jarrett Danridge was the only person inside the 2015 Cadillac sedan and was ejected when the vehicle rolled, according to authorities.
Richmond County deputies first tried to stop Danridge around 1:40 a.m. Saturday, per information attributed to the Aiken County Coroner's Office and reported by The Augusta Press. Why deputies initially attempted the stop, and whether Danridge was speeding or committing some other infraction, remains unclear. He did not stop, and the pursuit continued as he crossed into Aiken County, South Carolina.
Aiken County deputies picked up the chase and continued following Danridge for a short time after he crossed the state line before ending their pursuit, the outlet's report indicates. South Carolina's Act 218 pursuit standards, which took effect in 2023, require agencies to restrict chases unless there is reasonable suspicion that a violent felony was committed and evidence of outrageous, reckless driving that began before the pursuit, mandate supervisor oversight, and prohibit ramming tactics, according to the Municipal Association of South Carolina. Those standards describe restrictions on pursuits but do not establish why Aiken County deputies discontinued this specific chase.
Crash Discovered Near the Savannah River Crossing
Deputies received reports of a crash near Sandbar Ferry Road and Williston Road, where they found the Cadillac overturned with Danridge ejected from the vehicle. South Carolina Highway 28 runs through the region, according to background compiled on Wikipedia, while the crash was reported near Sandbar Ferry Road and Williston Road.
Aiken County EMS took Danridge to WellStar MCG in Augusta, where he died at 10:15 a.m. Sunday. The Aiken County Coroner's Office responded to the hospital around 11 a.m. that morning to investigate his death. An autopsy is scheduled to be performed in Newberry, and the South Carolina Highway Patrol and the coroner's office are continuing to investigate the crash, per the same account.
Prior Charges Were Dropped
Danridge had faced prior fleeing charges in Columbia County, Georgia, in both 2022 and 2023, along with a 2022 charge of driving under the influence on a suspended license with an open container in the vehicle. Those charges were ultimately dropped, though under Georgia Code § 17-8-3, a prosecutor's decision to enter a nolle prosequi terminates a case without constituting an acquittal, according to a legal explainer published via Justia Law. Prosecutors typically choose that route because of witness unavailability, evidentiary gaps, or other legal defects, the same source notes.
Danridge's family had roots in the region; his father, Seymour Danridge, worked as a carpenter in nearby New Ellenton, South Carolina, as identified in the Aiken Standard. The obituary also lists relatives in several locations. Carolina Pablo, a friend, remembered him afterward, saying, “Last words you told me, ‘If the family need anything just let me know bruh.’ If I knew it was gone be the last time we really chilled, definitely would of made it a long time.”
What the Investigation Still Has to Determine
A full reconstruction from the South Carolina Highway Patrol's Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team, which conducts in-depth collision investigations, typically takes at least eight weeks to complete, according to agency procedures outlined by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. The investigation remains ongoing. It is also not yet clear how much time elapsed between Aiken County calling off its pursuit and the crash being reported at Sandbar Ferry and Williston roads.
Under South Carolina Code § 56-5-750, failing to stop for a law enforcement vehicle can carry felony penalties of up to 10 years in prison when a driver leads officers on a high-speed pursuit. The available source material does not detail the Georgia fleeing penalties, Georgia Department of Public Safety pursuit-authorization guidelines, comparisons with other jurisdictions' approval requirements, or the statewide police-pursuit statistics cited in the CBS News report.
