Days after entire police force resigns, McColl mayor dead in vehicle crash
DARLINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — McColl Mayor George Garner died in a two-vehicle crash on Cashua Ferry Road, Darlington County Coroner Todd Hardee told News13 Tuesday night.
It happened around 2:40 p.m. nine miles outside of Darlington. Garner, 49, was driving westbound in a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe when he veered into the eastbound lane and collided head-on with an 18-wheeler.
Hardee said Garner was being pursued by Marlboro County deputies leading up to the crash.
Garner’s death comes at a time of controversy for the town of 2,000 that hugs the North Carolina state line.
On Thursday, the community’s five-person police force resigned en masse, with former chief Bob Hale saying in a Facebook message that a hostile work environment and inadequate funding were partly to blame for the stunning move.
