The Voice of Blythewood & Fairfield County

High-speed chase ends in crash

BLYTHEWOOD – A high speed chase that began on Two Notch Road near Sparkleberry Lane Thanksgiving morning ended in a crash in front of The Voice’s office on Main Street in downtown Blythewood.

Joseph Jenkins, 64, was charged with driving under suspension, third offense; failure to stop for blue lights, second offense; expired tag; reckless driving; seatbelt violation and operator uninsured.

The chase began after officers noticed an out-of-date sticker on the license plate of a grey Mercedes traveling east on Two Notch Road a little before 8 a.m., Thursday. A check on the plate revealed it was registered to a 1985 Ford Bronco out of Darlington, S.C., officials reported.

Sheriff’s deputies attempted to pull the Mercedes over. Instead of stopping, the Mercedes sped off, leading to a high speed pursuit through multiple red lights on Two Notch Road, according to Richland County Public Information Officer Josef Robinson.

Deputies reported that they pursued the Mercedes as it turned right on to Rabon Road, then continued on to William Harden, Hardscrabble Road, Clemson Road, North Springs Road, North Brickyard Road then Farrow Road before turning right on to Wilson Boulevard that became Main Street in downtown Blythewood.

As the Mercedes alledgedly continued speeding east through Blythewood, it crashed with a white Nissan Path Finder SUV carrying a family of three, that was turning left onto Main Street from Langford Road.  After that crash, the Mercedes continued on Main Street to the intersection at McNulty Road where it came to a stop as it crashed into a curb.

With the assistance of a K-9 officer, Sheriff’s deputies arrested Jenkins, who was first transported to a local hospital, then transferred to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia.

The three occupants of the SUV were transported to a local hospital. No information is available concerning injuries.

Story was updated December 4 at 4:41 p.m.


BLYTHEWOOD – An early morning crash on Main Street at the intersection of Langford Road in downtown Blythewood, in front of The Voice’s office, occurred about 8 a.m. Thanksgiving morning.

The accident, which involved a white Nissan Pathfinder and a grey Mercedes, was the result of a high-speed chase involving law enforcement, according to deputies. No information concerning injuries or other details about the accident are available at this time.

The accident is under investigation by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.