Lexington County man will spend eight years in prison for the death of an 81-year-old woman in 2019, report

Lexington County, South Carolina – The 36-year-old Bryan Christopher Powers of Lexington County will spend the next eight years in prison after he was found guilty of killing a 81-year-old woman in a 2019 crash.

According to the court, Powers was found guilty of reckless homicide in the death of a 81-year-old Mildred Smith.

The fatal incident took place in the afternoon hours in June 2019 when part of US-178 near Fogle Road in Pelion was being repaved.

Before the incident, two vehicles were stopped by the flagman. According to the incident report, the victim was seated in the rear passenger side seat in a Chevrolet Colorado, which was the second stopped vehicle.

While the Colorado was stopped waiting for the flagman sign to continue driving, Powers, driving a Chevrolet Silverado, crashed with high speed for behind. Because of the heavy hit, Smith suffered blunt force trauma leading to her death. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

During the trial, the testimony presented to the jury included the number of warning signs that were posted leading up to the road work. One flagman who witnessed the crash testified that Powers never slowed down.

The investigation about the incident showed that Powers’ speed at the point of impact was a minimum of 63 miles per hour. In addition to that, investigators added there were no pre-impact skid marks associated with Powers’ vehicle.

Powers is a well-known offender to the local authorities. He has a long criminal history including a possession of marijuana, two counts of burglary, and domestic violence.

Powers was found guilty in this case and he was sentenced to eight in prison.