Date Published: August 1, 2006   

Cottageville mayor seriously injured in crash

The Associated Press

The mayor of Cottageville, whose driving record has been heavily scrutinized since police said they clocked him doing 103 mph this spring, was seriously injured this weekend when he wrecked his pickup truck.

State troopers charged Mayor Bert Reeves with driving under the influence in Sunday night's wreck about eight miles north of Cottageville, but the town's attorney said Reeves' family told him he was not drinking before the crash.

The trooper based the DUI charge on a cooler found in the back of Reeves' pickup truck and a blood test was not done to determine the mayor's blood-alcohol level, Town Attorney Mullins McLeod wrote in a statement.

Reeves spent most of Sunday with his family before going to help an employee at a boat ramp. Everyone who saw him said he wasn't drinking, McLeod said.

The DUI charge was proper, said Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Paul Brouthers, who would not talk about what evidence led to the charge.

"We don't base our cases on rumors, conjecture or anything else not based on evidence," Brouthers said.

Reeves, 35, appeared to be speeding when his Ford F350 pickup ran off the right side of a Colleton County road about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Brouthers said.

The truck struck a row of mailboxes and overturned at least once after hitting a drainage culvert, landing upright in the middle of the road, authorities said.

Reeves was ejected from the vehicle and has also been charged with not wearing a seat belt, Brouthers said.

Reeves suffered a head injury and was in critical condition Monday night at Medical University Hospital, authorities said.

No one else was in the vehicle.

Reeves' driving record has become an issue in the town since a Colleton County deputy said the mayor was clocked going 103 mph in a 55 mph zone in March. The mayor is waiting for a jury trial on that charge.

In June, another deputy gave Reeves a warning after stopping him for traveling 71 mph in a 55 mph zone just outside of town limits. Sheriff George Malone said the deputy issued the warning to stay out of town politics.

Reeves' lengthy driving record also includes one conviction each for habitual offender and driving under suspension.

Some residents have wanted Reeves to step down, but after hearing about the weekend crash, they joined Reeves' family and friends in prayer.

"Please ask your readers to join me and my friends in praying for his full recovery," said Brad Capshaw, who unsuccessfully led an effort to oust Reeves in March.

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Information from: The Post and Courier,