GREENWOOD, S.C.; July 28, 2025 – A Greenwood man will spend the next two decades after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a fatal crash in which he was heavily intoxicated, 8th Circuit Solicitor David M. Stumbo announced Monday.
Robert Charles Regan, 42, of Greenwood, pleaded guilty Monday morning to a charge of felony DUI resulting in death and failure to stop for blue lights resulting in death. Circuit Judge Eugene C. Griffith then sentenced Regan to 20 years in prison, with a 10-year sentence and term of probation following the active 20 years of prison time. State law requires that Regan serve a minimum of 85 percent of the sentence before being considered for parole.
In December 2023, Regan was pulled over along the 72 Bypass for driving erratically. When he was told that he was suspected of driving under the influence, Regan put his Dodge 2500 Ram pickup into drive and began to flee. Officers pursued Regan down the Bypass where he drove in between cars stopped in each lane at the intersection with Laurel Avenue and struck the victim’s SUV in the driver’s side door. The victim, 85-year-old Army veteran David Rearden, was transported to a nearby hospital, but passed way while en route. Regan continued attempting to flee, striking a police vehicle in the process. An officer then used his patrol vehicle to push Regan’s truck off the road.
Officers boxed Regan in with vehicles and ordered him out of the vehicle. Regan refused to exit the vehicle until officers broke the window and removed him at gunpoint. Toxicology testing revealed Regan had a blood-alcohol level of .109, significantly higher than the legal minimum of .08. The South Carolina Highway Patrol’s Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team determined that Regan was travelling 68 mph in a 35 mph zone 5 seconds prior to impact. Following his arrest, Regan placed calls from the jail where he admitted to being drunk and fleeing from law enforcement to avoid getting a DUI.
Mr. Rearden’s family attended the hearing and addressed the court. One of Mr. Rearden’s sisters told the court not only of his service to the country in Vietnam but also of his service to his community, his church, and to the youth he mentored.
Senior Assistant Solicitor Andrew Hodges handled the case from the state with assistance from 8th Circuit Investigator Blake Moore and 8th Circuit Victim Advocate Rhetta Smith. Regan was represented by Aaron Taylor of the Greenwood County Bar.
Solicitor Stumbo praised the work of his staff in securing the conviction and prison sentence.
“While I am pleased that Robert Regan will be behind bars for many years to come, it is devastating for David Rearden’s family that he would be alive today had Regan not fled from law enforcement in order to avoid a DUI,” Solicitor Stumbo said following the plea proceeding. “Instead, this family was ripped apart and one of our nation’s heroes was taken from us too soon. I pray that the family can gain some closure and begin to move forward.”