An Horry County Sheriff’s Office van that was submerged in flood waters in Marion County has been recovered.
According to Brooke Holden, the public information officer for the sheriff’s office, an HCSO transportation vehicle was recovered “from a washout on Highway 76 in Marion County at around 2:30 p.m. by the State Law Enforcement Division with the assistance of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.” The vehicle is currently in the custody of SLED.
“At this time, we are cooperating fully with the State Law Enforcement Division inquiry into the incident, while at the same time conducting an internal investigation into this matter,” HCSO Sheriff Phillip Thompson said in a statement. “Just like you, we have questions we want answered. We hope we will be provided those answers through the ongoing inquiries in the very near future.”
First responders were called to an incident involving an HCSO van on highway 76 south of Nichols in Marion County on September 18, according to Thompson.
A press release from the Horry County Sheriff’s Office states the vehicle, staffed by two Horry County Sheriff’s Office deputies, was transporting two detainees from Conway to Darlington. The vehicle was traveling west on Highway 76 around 1/2 of a mile from the Little Pee Dee River when the vehicle was overtaken by flood waters.
Chief Deputy Tom Fox, with the HCSO, says two HCSO deputies were transporting two mental health patients to McLeod Behavioral Health in Darlington. One patient was from Waccamaw Mental Health and the other was from Loris Hospital.
According to Fox, while driving down Hwy 76 in Marion County about 1/2 of a mile from the Little Pee Dee River, the van was overtaken by water. The two deputies were rescued by high water rescue teams.
Marion County Coroner Jerry Richardson identifies the two women who died as Windy Newton, 45, of Shallotte, NC and Nicolette Green, 43, of Myrtle Beach.