Beaufort partner in SC law firm charged with DUI, refuses breath sample, officials say

Evan McKenna
Courtesy: McClatchy Co.

A Beaufort-based partner of a well-known South Carolina law firm was charged Friday with driving under the influence and also refused to provide a breath sample, according to officials from the South Carolina Highway Patrol and Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Bennett Joseph Schiller, 54, of Lady’s Island, was charged early Friday morning with driving under the influence.

Schiller is a trial lawyer and a partner of Schiller & Hamilton, a statewide law firm with offices in Beaufort and Bluffton. Specializing in injury law for motor vehicle accidents, the firm was voted the best in criminal defense law and personal injury law by readers of the Lowcountry’s Best magazine in September 2022.

Deputies conducted a traffic stop on Schiller just before 2 a.m. Friday, as the lawyer was driving on Sam’s Point Road on Lady’s Island, according to Maj. Angela Viens of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

After he was stopped, Schiller refused to submit a breath sample for the DataMaster DMT, the only breathalyzer approved for DUI cases across the state, according to Trooper Nick Pye, a spokesperson for the SC Highway Patrol.

In South Carolina, drivers have the right to refuse a breathalyzer, but those who do are subject to suspension of their driver’s license for six months or more. The person’s refusal may also be used against them in court.

A representative from Schiller & Hamilton Law Firm could not be reached for comment.

Schiller was released Friday morning from the Beaufort County Detention Center on a personal recognizance bond.

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