SC man arrested after woman & baby were killed in Christmas Eve crash, cops say
A man was recently arrested on multiple charges after a Christmas Eve crash where a woman and a baby were killed, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Lee Jordan Little, a 27-year-old Columbia resident, was charged with two counts of felony DUI with death, along with single counts of felony DUI with great bodily injury and transporting an open bottle of alcohol in a motor vehicle, said Master Trooper William Bennett.
Little was also charged with a seatbelt violation and failure to maintain proof of insurance in motor vehicle, Lexington County court records show.
The charges are from the Dec. 24 collision on S.C. 602/Platt Springs Road near Dari June Road, according to the Highway Patrol. That’s in the Red Bank area, east of the Platt Springs Crossing shopping development.
A 2016 Cadillac SUV was driving west in the eastbound lane on Platt Springs Road, while a 2010 Ford Focus was heading east on the same road, according to the Highway Patrol. The vehicles then “made contact,” authorities said.
West Columbia residents Gloria Martinez Alonso, 24, and Elisa Martinez, 1, died at the scene, according to the Lexington County Coroner’s Office.
A front-seat passenger of the Ford and the driver of the Cadillac were taken to an area hospital for their injuries, the Highway Patrol said. Information about the condition of the front-seat passenger in the Ford was not available.
Little was arrested Jan. 8 and booked into the Lexington County Detention Center, Bennett said. His bond was set at $275,257.50 on the combined charges, and Little remains locked up, jail records show.
He’s scheduled to return to court March 4 regarding the traffic violations, according to judicial records.
Little has been arrested on other charges prior to the deadly crash.
In April 2017, Little was charged with a weapons crime, and eventually pleaded guilty to municipal violation of city ordinance in May 2019, Richland County court records show.
In November 2019, Little was found guilty of speeding more than 25 mph over the limit, according to Richland County court records. Additionally, in 2016, Little was found guilty of minor traffic violations, Richland County court records show.
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