SC Public Transport officer to remain on job

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — A State Transport police officer is staying on the job after pleading guilty to driving too fast for conditions in a crash that killed an elderly driver in Taylors.

The Greenville News reported Tuesday that Officer Gerald Sims paid a $186 fine after prosecutors declined to offer him a deal.

Authorities say Sims was issued a traffic ticket for the March wreck that sent him and 91-year-old Thomas Hancock to the hospital. Hancock later died.

An investigation determined Hancock made an illegal left turn in front of Sims’ marked police car that was traveling 74 mph in a 45 mph zone. Sims had slowed to 55 mph by the impact.

The Department of Public Safety faces a civil suit alleging it didn’t do a proper check of Sims’ driving record.

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Information from: The Greenville News, http://www.greenvillenews.com