Lexington, SC 8/13/2022 - This week, Sheldon Eugene Dubois, age 29 from Lexington County, was sentenced to eighteen (18) years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections following a guilty plea to Felony DUI, Involving Death. Chief Administrative Judge Debra R. McCaslin presided over this case. Under South Carolina law, this charge is classified as a violent, serious, and a “no parole” offense. Dubois also pled guilty to an unrelated assault and battery by mob charge 3rd degree.
On March 11, 2021, deputies from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department attempted a traffic stop on a stolen Honda CRV on South Lake Drive near Edmund Highway. Deputies terminated the pursuit near the intersection of South Lake Drive and Bethany Church Road. Dubois continued speeding away and eventually disregarded a stop sign at the intersection of Bethany Church Road and Boiling Springs Road in Lexington County. At that point, he collided with a Ford F-150 that overturned and caused injury to that driver. A passenger in Dubois’ vehicle, Phillip Austin Jones, age 26, suffered fatal injuries in the collision and passed away the next day at Prisma Health Richland.
Dubois was originally charged with Reckless Vehicular Homicide. However, in the course of the investigation, his blood sample was obtained pursuant to a search warrant and quantities of methamphetamine and THC were found. Law enforcement then upgraded his original charge to this more serious offense.
S.C. Highway Patrol Trooper Luke Swanson and the Highway Patrol’s Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team handled the investigation of this case. Senior Assistant Solicitor Todd Wagoner handled the prosecution of this case for the Eleventh Circuit Solicitor’s Office. During the plea hearing, the wife of the driver of the Ford F-150 addressed the court and detailed the extent of her husband’s injuries.
Dubois has a prior criminal history that includes possession of drugs, reckless vehicular homicide and hit and run involving death, traffic, and property crime offenses. Dubois will be transported to the South Carolina Department of Corrections to begin serving his lengthy prison sentence.
