Man was out on bond from DUI arrest when he killed two in crash, SC police say
Four years after two people were killed in a crash in South Carolina, the man who collided with the vehicle they were riding is going to prison, according to the Columbia Police Department.
On Wednesday, 41-year-old Johnathan Gajadhar appeared in a Richland County courtroom and was sentenced to 10 years in a South Carolina Department of Corrections prison, police said in a news release.
Gajadhar pleaded guilty to felony DUI resulting in death, Richland County court records show. He won’t have to spend 10 years in a state prison, because Gajadhar was credited for serving more than 3 years behind bars before his conviction, according to the release.
Gajadhar was arrested and charged moments after the Aug. 11, 2022, crash where two men were killed, Police Chief Skip Holbrook said in the news release.
Shortly before 9 p.m., officers responded to the wreck on Farrow Road and S.C. 277, police said. That’s less than a mile from Prisma Health Richland hospital.
Gajadhar and the two male victims were driving south on Farrow Road in separate vehicles, according to the release. Gajadhar was intoxicated and speeding in his car which rear-ended the victims who were riding on a moped, police said.
The impact ejected both passengers from the moped and both men died at the scene, according to the release.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as Kirven Holmes and Leroy Furtick.
During the investigation, officers learned that Gajadhar was out on bond for a previous DUI arrest at the time of the deadly crash, police said. Gajadhar’s driver’s license was suspended because of previous DUI and Driving Under Suspension convictions, according to the release.
“Be a responsible driver and do not drive while intoxicated,” police said in the release. “Find a designated driver or utilize a rideshare company. Call 911 if you suspect a driver may be impaired.”
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