Husband of Hilton Head native killed in 2021 crash involving Spartanburg deputies files suit

(Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect a change in a key fact involving the high-speed chase.)

The husband of a Hilton Head native and former art teacher has filed a lawsuit claiming that police caused her 2021 death in a Spartanburg County high-speed chase.

Jessica Hipp-Mercer Munyon, 36, died in February 2021 when she was caught in the middle of a chase in which a man who was trying to get away from police crashed into her vehicle in Spartanburg County. That day, Munyon was on her way to pick up her then 6-year-old daughter from school, according to previous reporting by the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.

In the lawsuit, lawyers representing Munyon’s husband, Michael Munyon, said police created an emergency from what was originally a “minor traffic offense.”

“It was not a matter of if, but when, this high-speed vehicle pursuit would end in tragedy due to their reckless indifference and disregard for the safety of others,” Munyon’s lawyers said in the lawsuit, filed Feb. 10. “That moment came when Barron [the driver], with Defendants’ employees in active pursuit, was driving 90 mph in a 40-mph zone on East Blackstock Road and collided with Jessica’s vehicle.”

On the day of the crash, officers from two different police departments, including a Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office deputy, were chasing a car driven by Andres Antonio Barron, 30, of Campobello, South Carolina. Barron was allegedly weaving in and out of traffic and police continued their pursuit because of Barron’s “reckless driving and excessive speed,” according to reporting from a local news outlet.

Christy Fargnoli and Samuel Clawson, the attorneys representing Munyon’s husband in the lawsuit, declined a request for comment from the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety, the Highway Patrol and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office are all named as defendants in the lawsuit.

Kyle McGahee, a South Carolina Department of Public Safety spokesperson, said the department does not comment on pending litigation.

A representative from SCHP could not immediately be reached for comment.

Lt. Kevin Bobo, a spokesman for the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, declined a request for comment due to pending litigation.

Barron was charged with her death eight days later. At that time, his charges included reckless homicide, failure to stop for blue lights resulting in death, driving under suspension, failure to return driver’s license after notice of suspension, operating a vehicle that was not registered and licensed, and use of an incorrect license plate on the vehicle, according to a S.C. Law Enforcement Division news release.

Barron was not listed as a defendant in the lawsuit and his criminal case is still pending. His defense attorney, Stephen Denton, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The South Carolina Whitmore School, where Munyon had worked since at least 2016, renamed a scholarship after her to honor her and her “incredible impact” on students’ lives following her death.

On Hilton Head, she was remembered by friends and family as an “artistic soul” and a “beacon of light,” according to previous reporting.

Munyon’s mother, Terry Hipp, told the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette that working from home was something her daughter truly enjoyed as it allowed her to have more time to spend with her own daughter, Leah.

“I hope she’ll be remembered as a smart, funny young lady with a wicked sense of humor who loved her family,” Hipp said.