Search for teenager after car chase ends in crash and leads to drug bust, SC cops say

A car chase in the Midlands ended in a crash, and one man was arrested while a search is underway for a South Carolina teenager who is wanted on multiple drug charges, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

Deputies are looking for 19-year-old Sumter resident Nyshaun Mykal Williams, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. Williams was a passenger in a stolen car, driven by 21-year-old Sumter resident Daeveon Miche Nelson-Peterson, that deputies chased Monday, according to the release.

At about 3 p.m. Monday, a deputy confirmed that a vehicle he saw at the Harmony Court Apartments was a stolen car, and he turned on his blue lights and gave verbal commands to the driver and passenger to place their hands outside the vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.

But Nelson-Peterson sped away, prompting the deputy to turn on his vehicle’s siren and give chase, according to the release. The pursuit ended when the stolen vehicle ran into the curb behind St. Anne Parish Center before hitting a fence behind the Garden Circle Apartments, the sheriff’s office said.

Both Williams and Nelson-Peterson ran away while the stolen car was still moving, according to the release. Instead of continuing to chase them, the deputy stayed with the stolen vehicle and provided a description to dispatch while other members of the sheriff’s office and the Sumter Police Department responded and established a perimeter, according to the release.

Police officers found Williams and Nelson-Peterson nearby and detained them, the sheriff’s office said. Additionally, law enforcement officers recovered two handguns, 92 grams of methamphetamine, 43 grams of heroin, 4.14 grams of crack, and 35 grams of marijuana, according to the sheriff’s office.

Nelson-Peterson was taken to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center where he was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle (value $10,000 or more), trafficking methamphetamine (more than 28g but less than 100g), trafficking heroin (28 grams or more), possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, failure to stop for blue lights, driving under suspension, and transporting alcohol in motor vehicle with seal broken, according to the release.

Bond was denied for Nelson-Peterson, who was under house arrest when he was taken into custody on these charges, the sheriff’s office said.

Although Williams was initially detained, the sheriff’s office said there was not enough probable cause to arrest him. But after further investigation, arrest warrants were issued Tuesday on charges that the teen was trafficking meth (more than 28g but less than 100g), trafficking heroin (28 grams or more), possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, according to the release.

Deputies are searching for Williams, who was described by the sheriff’s office as a 5-foot-7, 155-pound male with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about Williams, or his whereabouts, is asked to call 911, the sheriff’s office at 803-436-2000, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription