MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – A drunk man on the run from a crash caused another crash that killed three people earlier this month in Myrtle Beach, police announced Thursday night.
Police arrested Garth Treadway of Conway. They announced charges, including three counts of felony DUI resulting in death, one count of felony DUI resulting in great bodily harm, hit and run attended vehicle, and transporting alcohol in a motor vehicle with the seal broken.
A motorcycle and three other vehicles crashed at Robert Grissom Parkway and Executive Avenue on May 4. Nicolas Norris, Kristie Drewes, and Gulnoza Tashmatova died, according to the coroner’s office.
Before the crash, Treadway had just wrecked on Pine Island Road, police said, and was trying to get away. Police said alcohol and speed were contributing factors for the crash on Robert Grisson Parkway.
Treadway has a history of running from trouble. In 2002, he hid in Myrtle Beach after escaping a jail in Richmond, Texas. He got into a shootout with Myrtle Beach police after officers stopped him at a shopping center on 76th Avenue North. An officer shot him in the thigh.
Then-solicitor Greg Hembree said the officer’s shooting was not only justified, but necessary to protect lives.
Within a few weeks, Treadway attempted to escape a jail in Horry County by using a paperclip to undo his handcuffs. That attempt failed.
Court records show dozens of other charges. Most of them are traffic related, including a speeding charged filed in March.
Treadway is scheduled to appear before a judge at 9 a.m. Friday.
