A former South Carolina deputy sheriff who drove a prison van into the water in 2018 while transporting two women to a mental health center, leaving them drowning in a cage in the back as the water rose, was convicted Thursday and sentenced to 18 years in prison .
A Marion County jury found Stephen Flood, a former deputy to the Horry County Sheriff’s Office, guilty of two counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of reckless manslaughter in the deaths of Nicolette Green, 43, and Wendy Newton, 45. They were cleric health patients who transported Mr. Flood and another deputy from hospitals to mental health facilities where they had been admitted.
The jury appeared to agree with the prosecution, Ed Clements, the attorney for the 12th Circuit, who argued at trial that Mr. Flood had acted recklessly when he “stubbornly” drove down a road flooded during Hurricane Florence. .
“It was stubbornness, and I hate to call anyone stupid, but this was a stupid act that cost the lives of two innocent ladies,” Mr Clements said in his opening statement.
When the first sentencing was read on Thursday, Mr. Flood bowed his head. He looked at the floor as the other convictions were handed down.
Mr Clements and Jarrett Bouchette, a lawyer for Mr Flood, did not immediately respond to calls for comment on Thursday.
Mr Bouchette had argued at trial that Mr Flood had simply followed orders from supervisors to transport the women, as is customary under state law, and that he had become “a scapegoat for this terrible, tragic accident”.
On September 18, 2018, Mr. Flood, then 66, and the deputy who accompanied him, Joshua Bishop, were asked to safely transport the patients to a mental health center for further treatment as the hurricane soaked the Carolinas.
Ms. Green had schizophrenia and Ms. Newton had asked to be taken to a hospital because she thought she was about to have a “spell,” said Allison, Ms. Newtown’s daughter, in 2018.
At the time, the officers were assigned an itinerary that was deemed safe, according to an affidavit. But they ignored the travel instructions and instead followed a route they felt was more efficient, Mr Clements said.
They went through a barricade and entered a flooded Highway 76 in northeastern South Carolina’s Marion County, Mr. Clements.
The van came to a stop and was thrown into a guardrail, according to the affidavit, overtaken by the overflowing waters of the Pee Dee River. The two women were locked in a cage in the back. The water rose in the van and Mr. Flood, who could not swim, called for help, said Mr. Bouchette.
Mrs. Green and Mrs. Newton watched the water creep in slowly at first, then quickly, Mr Clements said.
“Can you imagine what it would be like to be in a cage and the water rises — how awful that was to be there,” he told the jury. “It rose, and there was nothing they could do.”
According to the affidavit, Mr. Bishop tried to save them, but failed. However, he managed to save Mr. Flood. Mr Bishop, who was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, will face trial at a later date, The Post and Courier of Charleston, SC reported.
Emergency services arrived later and found the officers on the roof of the van. But by then it was too dark to dive and look for the women. Their bodies were recovered the next day.
The two officers were eventually fired.
Donnela Green-Johnson, a sister of Ms. Green, said at trial that Mr. Flood had abused the trust that Ms. Green, Ms. Newton “and the state of South Carolina entrusted to him,” The Associated Press reported.
“And for what?” she asked Judge William H. Seals Jr. of Circuit Court. “Save time.”
Judge Seals sentenced Mr. Flood to two consecutive five-year prison terms for involuntary manslaughter and four consecutive years in prison for reckless manslaughter.
Mr Clements said Mr Flood had “created a risk” to the victims by driving through that water to save time.
“He ignored that risk, looked at what he saw before him and drove on,” he said.
When Mr. Flood decided to drive through the floodwaters, he looked back and saw that it was too late to return, Mr. Clements said.
“He ignored all those priorities because he wanted to take the shortcut,” he said. “And it turned out to be the way of death.”