Bad driving leads to car chase and another drug bust for SC man, sheriff says
A driver who ignored police lights and led law enforcement officers on a chase Monday was arrested on multiple charges after deputies recovered a bag that was thrown from the South Carolina man’s car, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
Anthony Dwayne Pringle Jr., a 25-year-old Sumter resident, was charged with failure to stop for a blue light, transport alcohol in motor vehicle with seal broken, a second offense of trafficking in methamphetamine (more than 28 grams but less than 100), a second offense of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, a second offense of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, a second or subsequent offense of possession of a controlled substance (Schedule I to V) and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, the sheriff’s office said Tuesday in a news release.
The charges are connected to a Monday morning incident that began when a deputy saw a vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road as it was headed toward oncoming traffic on Reese Street, according to the release. That’s in a part of Sumter between U.S. 521 and Broad Street.
Deputies tried pulling over the vehicle, using emergency lights and sirens, but the driver — later identified as Pringle — sped away, the sheriff’s office said.
Pringle turned the vehicle down several streets in an effort to evade law enforcement, according to the release.
At one point during the chase, Pringle briefly slowed the vehicle and threw something out before speeding away, the sheriff’s office said. The vehicle eventually stopped near Dixie Drive and Jackson Street, about a mile from where the chase began, and Pringle was taken into custody, according to the release.
During a search, deputies found an open alcoholic beverage and more than $14,000 in cash inside the vehicle, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies also recovered the object thrown from the vehicle, which was determined to be a bag containing various illegal drugs and a digital scale, according to the release.
The sheriff’s office said what they discovered inside the bag was about:
- 72 grams of meth
- 7 grams of crack cocaine
- 6 grams of cocaine
- 4.5 oxycodone pills
- 42 grams of marijuana
The drugs and cash were seized and Pringle was taken to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center, where he’s waiting for a bond hearing, the sheriff’s office said.
Pringle was out on bond on similar charges when he was arrested Monday.
Almost exactly a year ago, Pringle was pulled over and arrested on a drug charge, according to the sheriff’s office.
On Aug. 18, 2024, Pringle was stopped for driving twice the speed limit (60 mph in a 30-mph zone) then was charged with trafficking in cocaine (10 grams or more, but less than 28 grams), possession of a weapon during a violent crime, simple possession of crack, and driving on a suspended license, the sheriff’s office said at that time.
Those charges are pending against Pringle, who was released after posting a $43,147 bond in 2024, Sumter County court records show.
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