Two SC Highway Patrol troopers hurt in hit-and-run, suspected driver is identified
Two South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers were injured overnight in a hit-and-run crash, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday.
Marlo Roger Seawright, a 50-year-old Greenville resident, was charged with hit-and-run (great bodily injury), according to an arrest warrant that was released Monday by the sheriff’s office.
The collision happened at about 2 a.m. near the intersection of Cedar Lane Road and Alamo Street in Greenville, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. That area is densely packed with restaurants and retail businesses.
The troopers were conducting a traffic stop when the crash happened, the sheriff’s office said. They were listed as pedestrians when they were hit by a silver Chrysler, according to the release.
Seawright hit one of the troopers, who was performing a field sobriety test in the median of the road, and a patrol vehicle before driving away, the arrest warrant said.
The troopers were identified as Lance Cpl. Devin Kugler and Trooper B.M. Stuhmer, according to Serve & Connect’s online fundraiser. Serve & Connect is a nonprofit organization “focused on igniting positive change through police-community partnerships,” that was founded by Kassy Alia Ray in memory of her late husband, Forest Acres police officer Gregory Alia, who was killed in the line of duty in 2015.
Both troopers were taken to an area hospital, and Kugler was critically injured, according to the release. Further information on Kugler’s condition was not available, but his recovery “is expected to be extensive,” according to Serve & Connect.
Kugler, 29, is a seven-year veteran of the Highway Patrol, and he and wife Amanda have five children and with another child on the way, according to Serve & Connect.
The other trooper was treated and released from the hospital, the sheriff’s office said.
About an hour after the crash, Seawright was taken into custody not far from the scene of the collision, the sheriff’s office said.
If convicted on the felony charge, Seawright faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, according to South Carolina law.
Hours after the crash, Greenville County sheriff’s deputies were still investigating at the scene, and the roads remained closed, according to the release.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call CrimeStoppers of Greenville at 864-23-CRIME, or submit an online tip.
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This story was originally published October 16, 2022 at 9:47 AM.
