A woman was killed and man with history of DUIs is going to prison, prosecutor says

A Midlands man is going to prison after pleading guilty to killing a woman while driving drunk, the 8th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said Tuesday.

On Monday, 34-year-old Prosperity resident Shane Cameron Rogers received a 20-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to felony DUI resulting in death, the solicitor’s office said in a news release.

Rogers also originally faced charges of driving under suspension and hit and run (involved in accident with death), but those crimes were not prosecuted, Newberry County court records show.

Rogers had seven prior DUI convictions and a suspended driver’s license at the time of the deadly head-on crash, according to the release.

Just before Christmas 2021, the woman was driving on U.S. 76, near Wessinger Road in Newberry County, when her vehicle was hit by the work truck driven by Rogers, the solicitor’s office said.

The woman, a Chapin resident, was wearing a seat belt in the Dec. 22 crash, Newberry County Coroner Laura Kneece said in 2021.

While the woman died at the scene, Rogers ran away and was ultimately captured on railroad tracks by Newberry County sheriff’s deputies following a brief foot chase, according to the release.

“Shane Rogers is a habitual drunk driver who due to his inability to stop doing so, took the life of a woman who was beloved by her family, a true servant of others,” Solicitor David Stumbo said in the release. “I pray this gives this beautiful lady’s family some closure and they can begin the healing process.”

Along with the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office, the South Carolina Highway Patrol assisted the solicitor’s office in the investigation.

Assistant Solicitor Taylor Daniel led the prosecution, with assistance from 8th Circuit Victim Advocate Lauren Powers. Rogers was represented by Columbia attorney Victor Li.