Midlands school board member arrested on DUI charge

A member of the Lexington-Richland 5 school board was arrested Monday and charged with driving under the influence, records show.

Elizabeth Barnhardt was booked at the Lexington County Detention Center at 4:51 a.m. Monday on a charge of first-offense DUI of less than 0.1 blood alcohol level, according to booking documents obtained by The State.

Barnhardt is in her first term on the school board overseeing education in the Chapin-Irmo area, representing the Lexington County side of the school district at large. She was first elected in 2022.

A spokesperson for the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said the arrest was made by the South Carolina Highway Patrol early Monday morning, but the Highway Patrol had not provided an arrest report as of Tuesday afternoon.

Barnhardt referred questions to her attorney, Stephen Hucks, who said she intended to fight the charges.

“We are eagerly anticipating the opportunity to refute and defend these charges in court,” Hucks said.

This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 1:27 PM.

Bristow Marchant

The State

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Bristow Marchant covers local government, schools and community in Lexington County for The State. He graduated from the College of Charleston in 2007. He has almost 20 years of experience covering South Carolina at the Clinton Chronicle, Sumter Item and Rock Hill Herald. He joined The State in 2016. Bristow has won numerous awards, most recently the S.C. Press Association’s 2024 education reporting award.  Support my work with a digital subscription