NEWBERRY COUNTY — Both Roy McClurkin, interim chief of police, and Sheriff Lee Foster reported a quiet New Year’s holiday in Newberry County this year.
“This New Years was relatively quiet in comparison to past years. There was one DUI and a few fireworks complaints,” McClurkin said. “The guys that were on shift were telling me that there were not a lot of people out and about. So I think many people just stayed home with their families.”
McClurkin said this was a contrast to last year’s holiday when they were investigating the death of Gabriel Apollo McArdle, age 3.
The driving under the influence incident the city police handled took place in the late evening of Jan. 1. According to the report, Sharoddrick Wallace, 26, of 3518 Grant Ave., in Newberry, was driving near Kendall Road with a tag light out. When officers pulled Wallace over, they could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from him. The report also indicates his eyes were blood shot and glazed.
Wallace admitted that he had a six pack that night. After conducting a field sobriety test, the officer determined that Wallace was impaired. Wallace was also charged with having an open container of liquor after officers discovered an open bottle, with a large portion of alcohol missing, in his car.
When it comes to the county, Foster said things were remarkably quiet, with the exception of a bad wreck on the interstate.
“It was a cross over accident, one vehicle crossed over the interstate and hit another head on. There were serious injuries, but it appears everyone will recover,” he said.
Foster concurred with McClurkin and felt that there were not a lot of people out during the holiday. He says they even received fewer calls for fireworks complaints.
“We usually have more traffic incidents, complaints for noise and fireworks and a lot of domestic cases, especially on New Year’s Day,” Foster said. “That was not the case this year. Pretty much like a regular weekend.”
When it comes to fireworks, Foster suspects that the damp weather may have prevented many residents from shooting fireworks this year.