DUI, drug charges result from safety checkpoint by SC police agencies in Myrtle Beach

Robert Grissom Parkway glowed blue Tuesday night.

Multiple law enforcement agencies in South Carolina conducted a traffic safety checkpoint along the road.

During the checkpoint, 44 tickets were issued, including one DUI and two drug related charges, according to Myrtle Beach Police Department spokesperson Cpl. Thomas Vest.

One man was stopped and pulled out of his car and searched before being arrested, leaving a woman in the car who looked frantic. It was not known what he was arrested for.

The checkpoint was set up right before Granddaddy Drive in one spot along the road.

The purpose of the checkpoints are a part of a statewide effort through the South Carolina Department of Highway Safety, according to Vest.

Among the agencies included Horry County Police, Myrtle Beach Police, North Myrtle Beach Police and the South Carolina Highway Patrol. The checkpoint lasted from 6 to 9 p.m.

South Carolina Department of Public Safety Special Programs Manager Brent Kelly said the priority of the checkpoint was safety.

“Our goal working these checkpoints, these network meetings, these agencies coming together is to reduce our collisions, and reduce our fatalities on our highways,” he said. “We wanna make sure people are obeying the traffic laws, being responsible, doing what they are supposed to be doing while out here traveling on these highways.”

Top contributing factors in collisions on South Carolina roads include impaired driving and not wearing seat belts, Kelly said.

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety fatality dashboard shows that 1,206 fatalities have occurred on Horry County roads since the start of 2022.

Tuesday’s turnout was huge, Kelly said. Around 60 officers were present at Logan’s Roadhouse for a briefing before conducting the checkpoint.

But it’s never clear how much participation agency network meetings will bring, Kelly said.

“It’s always encouraging when you see this number of officers,” he said.

Barbara Prescop, president of the Myrtle Beach Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association, watched from the sidelines with two volunteers, passing out food, drinks and coffee to the officers.

After taking a citizens police academy class, Prescop said she saw another side of police officers.

“You see how human they are and how much they give to the community,” she said.

This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 10:32 PM.