Deputy charged in crash that killed mother, adult daughters on Mother's Day
Charleston County Deputy Emily Pelletier (Provided by Charleston County Sheriff's Office) ((Provided by Charleston County Sheriff's Office))
CHARLESTON, S.C. - A sheriff’s deputy in South Carolina has been charged with three counts of reckless homicide after she ran a stop sign and crashed into a car while going 73 mph, killing a mother and her two adult daughters, investigators said.
Charleston County Deputy Emily Pelletier was heading to check on a stopped car and didn’t have her emergency lights or siren on as she turned on to U.S. Highway 17 south of Charleston on May 8 around 11 p.m., Sheriff Kristen Graziano said. In a press conference, Graziano said Pelletier was still on administrative leave.
Pelletier’s police cruiser hit a 2012 Toyota sedan, killing Stephania Dantzler, 53, investigators said. Also killed were the woman’s daughters, 28-year-old Shanice Dantzler-Williams and 22-year-old Miranda Dantzler-Williams.
Pelletier is charged with three counts of reckless homicide, felonies that carry up to 10 years in prison on each count if convicted. Troopers did not say if she had an attorney who could comment on the charges.
Pelletier was also hurt in the crash, but recovered. She has been on leave since the wreck and Graziano said she wanted to review the entire Highway Patrol report before deciding what to do about her employment.
The sheriff has reached out to the family of the women killed, giving them information about the investigation and promising to continue to support them.