Town official arrested for DUI by SC Highway Patrol
Tony Godsey Jr., the town manager of Aynor, was arrested by South Carolina Highway Patrol for driving under the influence earlier this month, according to records from the Horry County jail.
A booking report from the J. Reuben Long Detention Center shows that Lonnie Harold Godsey — Godsey Jr.’s full name — was arrested for driving under the influence and having an open container of beer or wine in his vehicle.
Godsey Jr. was booked into jail early on May 7 and was released later that morning. No bail was set, according to the booking report.
Lance Corporal Tyler Tidwell of the South Carolina Highway Patrol said Wednesday that officers arrested Godsey Jr. after he wrecked his Chevy near the intersection of Enoch Road and S.C. 319, in the Cool Spring area. The wreck happened just after midnight on May 7.
Godsey Jr., Tidwell said, was driving on S.C. 319 when he hit a highway sign. Godsey Jr. then crossed over S.C. 319 and crashed in a ditch on the side of the road. No one else was involved in the accident, Tidwell said.
Tidwell said a Highway Patrol trooper “believed (Godsey Jr.) was under the influence” and attempted to perform a breathalyzer test. Godsey Jr. refused, he said, and the trooper took him to county jail.
Godsey Jr., 51, did not return a request for comment. A family member confirmed his arrest but declined to comment.
Tony Godsey Sr., Godsey Jr.’s father and an Aynor council member, also did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
Aynor Mayor John Gardner, too, did not return a phone call seeking comment.
This story was originally published May 24, 2022 at 5:04 PM.
