“Great detective work” by the Sumter city police has led to the quick arrest of a suspected hit-and-run driver in the Saturday death of a local bicyclist, Sumter County Coroner Harvin Bullock said today.
Bullock identified the dead cyclist as Charles A. Westberry, of Sumter.
Westberry died immediately of massive trauma after being struck around 4:30 a.m. by a car, Bullock said.
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Police found a piece of a car bumper at the scene and used it to track down the suspect, Bullock said. “They just checked some areas around the scene and happened to find the car,” Bullock said.
Sumter city police chief Patty Patterson identified the suspect as Elizabeth Dennis, age approximately 26, a former city police dispatcher.
Dennis, who was driving a Chevrolet Equinox, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with great bodily harm or death and failure to render aid or assistance, Patterson said. She was arrested Saturday evening, Patterson said.
Patterson said a special S.C. Highway Patrol accident investigation team would look into what happened in the incident.
Bullock said the bicyclist was using his bicycle to commute to work at his construction job.
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