Lexington man going to prison after couple was killed in boat crash, SC officials say
Three months after pleading guilty to causing a boat crash on the Broad River that killed two people in 2020, a Lexington man was sent to prison, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said Thursday.
On Monday, Dylan Yancey Steele was sentenced to 10 years in prison, DNR said in a news release.
The 28-year-old was also fined $20,000 and ordered to complete 250 hours of community service after pleading guilty to two felony charges of boating under the influence resulting in death, according to the release.
The judge presiding in the Newberry County courtroom suspended the sentence to seven years, a $10,000 fine and 250 hours of community service, DNR said.
The maximum penalty Steele faced on each charge was 25 years in prison and a $20,000 fine, according to South Carolina law.
Steele was also originally charged with two counts of reckless homicide by operation of a boat, but those charges were dismissed, the 8th Circuit Solicitor’s Office previously told The State.
The Crash
On Aug. 1, 2020, two Jon boats collided at about 9 p.m. in a section of the Broad River that’s near Hill Creek, DNR previously told The State.
Steele was part of a group of acquaintances hanging out and drinking alcohol, DNR said.
After sundown, Steele was driving one of three boats that was part of the same group on the river, according to DNR. While the other vessels in the party in front of Steele stopped to make sure no other boats were coming, he ran over the second boat, going over the top of the other watercraft, DNR said.
Steele was driving the third Jon boat at a high rate of speed, according to DNR.
THE VICTIMS
Chapin resident Jamie Lindler, 27, and Irmo’s Andrew Bunnell, 28, were on board that second boat and were killed in the collision, Newberry County Coroner Laura Kneece said.
They died of traumatic injuries caused by the crash, according to DNR.
They were a couple, and in their separate obituaries each was called the love of the other’s life. A joint visitation for Lindler and Bunnell was held at the Caughman-Harman Funeral Home’s Chapin Chapel, according to the obituaries.
No other injuries were reported from the boat crash.
“The sentencing helped to bring a little bit of closure to the families,” DNR Sgt. Damian Yongue, who led the investigation, said in the release. “It’s unfortunately not going to be able to bring their loved ones back, but it is some measure of closure for them.”
An investigation built on detailed witness statements from members of the third boat and field sobriety tests conducted by DNR officers at a nearby boat landing supported the charges against Steele of boating under the influence resulting in the deaths, according to the release.
Time in Court
Although Steele pleaded guilty to the charges in July, his sentencing was delayed because he needed surgery for injuries he suffered when a golf cart he was riding crashed, the solicitor’s office previously said.
This was not the first time Steele was arrested for a crime he committed while behind the wheel of a vehicle.
Lexington County court records show over the past six years, Steele has been arrested multiple times and paid fines for traffic infractions, including driving too fast for conditions and seat belt violations.
The 8th Circuit Solicitor prosecuted the case because the collision happened in Newberry County. The solicitor’s jurisdiction also includes parts of Abbeville, Greenwood, and Laurens counties.
Steele’s attorney is Alexandra Benevento, Newberry County court records show.
“Keeping the waters of our state safe from reckless and impaired boaters is critical work,” 8th Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo said in the release.
BEHIND THE STORY
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