Driver charged in hit-and-run that killed SC bicyclist, troopers say

A South Carolina woman was arrested a day after, troopers say, she fatally struck a man on a bicycle and then drove away. 

The deadly crash happened just before 9 p.m. Friday on Rainbow Lake Road in Spartanburg County, according to Trooper Joe Hovis of the S.C. Highway Patrol. 

A bicyclist was traveling west on Rainbow Lake Road, just north of Boiling Springs, when he was hit from behind by a then-unknown car, Hovis said. The driver did not stop, and the bicyclist died at the scene from his injuries. 

The Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office identified the bicyclist as 46-year-old Joseph Shane Melton, of Inman, reports FOX Carolina. 

On Saturday night, the Highway Patrol announced that 32-year-old Nicole Blake McClain, of Inman, was arrested in connection with Melton’s death. She was charged with felony leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and operating an uninsured vehicle, Hovis said. 

McClain remains in the Spartanburg County jail without bond, jail records show. 

Leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death carries up to 25 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, under South Carolina law. 

This story was originally published April 7, 2019 at 11:03 AM with the headline "Driver charged in hit-and-run that killed SC bicyclist, troopers say."