Driver of car that was fleeing deputies was wanted by Probation, Parole and Pardon Services, and was

Dixiana, SC (Paul Kirby) – The driver of the stolen car that died Monday morning after crashing at the entrance to the SC State Farmer’s Market while he was leading deputies on a high-speed pursuit was wanted by the state’s Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services according to a statement released by the Sheriff’s Department overnight. They also said that driver, identified as Timothy W. Roberts, 44, of Swansea, was driving under suspension while he was behind the wheel of the Volkswagen convertible that was taken from South Congaree earlier in the day or over the weekend. His passenger, later identified as Nicole Y. Beran, 39, of Lexington, also succumbed to her injuries and died after the wreck.

Sheriff’s deputies first got behind the car on Meadowfield Road out in the county just north of the town of Gaston. Once they realized that the car was reported stolen, they tried to initiate a traffic stop. Instead of making the decision to pull over, Roberts initiated the pursuit that finally ended in the tragic crash some miles away. As he was speeding down Charleston Highway, he hit a small delivery van that belonged to Harvest Hope, an organization that has helped feed hundreds of thousands of people over the years. Their van’s driver was turning left into the market according to SC State Troopers who have been tasked with investigating the crash. That driver was injured, but those injuries don’t appear to be life-threatening.

A check of public records indicates that Roberts was no stranger to law enforcement. Since before 1995, they indicate he had problems staying out of trouble while driving. It doesn’t appear as if his real issues started until after 2015. That’s when his charges began to be less traffic and more of a criminal nature. Records indicate that there were charges of public disorderly conduct and shoplifting. Later, he was charged with possession of hard drugs and being in possession of a stolen car.

Last year, it appears as if his life really went off the rails. In March of 2017, he was arrested and charged with grand larceny for taking something valued at $10,000 or more. For that, he was sentenced to 10 years, but that sentence was suspended after he served 109 days in the county jail. He also received 5 years of probation. I guess that’s where he got involved with PPP, the agency that he was wanted by while running Monday. In February of 2018, he was arrested again while on probation for possession of less than one gram of meth or cocaine base, 1st offense. He spent just over 90 days in jail for that. Those charges were the last shown on the public record until the stolen car and chase on Monday.

Perhaps it was drugs that made him take such a turn? Only people who really knew him well, or the law enforcement officers he seemed to interact with regularly, could say. One thing is certain; something happened that led to a high-speed chase and a violent end for two people. There are certainly families somewhere that are mourning. Mothers, fathers, sister, brothers, perhaps one or both had children of their own; No matter the facts that the records show, they were people who died in a tragic way.

Often, in these cases, we also forget the other victims. The young EMTs who had to try. The firefighters who were there cutting a lifeless body from a mangled car or helping run quickly with a stretcher out of a muddy ditch. There were the state troopers, the staff from the coroner’s office whose job it is to deal with death daily; all are a little different today than yesterday whether they realize it or not. There’re also those law enforcement officers in the chase who may have played everything right by the book. Even though they were doing their jobs, they have to be second guessing themselves too. Wouldn’t you? It’s easy for anyone to question what happened, anyone who wasn’t there when it was all going on.

Roberts is gone now and will never know what the trail of destruction his decisions left. If he had just pulled over when the blue lights came on. Yes, he would have probably gone to prison, or at least been in the county jail a long time. If he was struggling with substance abuse, maybe this time would have been the time when it finally hit him, enough is enough. Who knows? All we do know is lots of lives will never be the same because of the decisions he made. It’s a sad story that our law enforcement officers, judges, and the courts deal with many times a day. Will it ever really change?