Man charged with possession with intent to distribute after collision with Cayce DPS officer’s cruis

West Columbia, SC (Paul Kirby) – A Cayce Department of Public Safety officer was injured Thursday when a car ran the stop light at Augusta Road and 12th Street in the City of West Columbia and t-boned the unmarked car the officer was driving. According to Assistant Chief Scott Morrison of the West Columbia PD, after the wreck the driver of the car that ran the red light was taken into custody and charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana. Chief Morrison said that Vincent Benjamin was detained and eventually arrested and booked.

According to Chief Morrison, a marked West Columbia patrol car was stopped at the red light across the intersection and caught the entire accident on its dashcam. The suspect approached the intersection and never slowed down, hitting the Cayce unmarked in the driver’s side. Officers believe that the driver may have been distracted by the marked unit since Benjamin had a quantity of marijuana in his car along with items associated with the sale of weed. The SC Highway Patrol investigated the accident since another agency’s vehicle was involved.

The Cayce officer was injured during the wreck and transported by Lexington EMS. According to Director of Public Safety Byron Snelgrove, he was treatment for a broken bone. It’s unclear when he will be able to return to duty.