Driver Receives Prison Time for SC Firefighter's Death

A Pendleton man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a drunken driving crash that killed a Sandy Springs volunteer firefighter.

Charles Pickens, 67, had a blood alcohol content level .254 percent when he was arrested. That is more than three times the state's legal limit.

Pickens was sentenced to 25 years in prison for felony DUI with death and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, according to WYFF4.com. His sentence includes 15 years of active service and five years of probation.

Sandy Springs firefighter Kenneth Stanton was struck by Pickens while he was directing traffic at an accident scene on Feb. 15, 2015. 

Stanton was pinned between a fire truck and Pickens' vehicle.

Pickens ran away from the scene.

"Kenny was a great man who would go out of his way to help anyone," his cousin, Jason Pruitt, said after the 2015 incident. "He loved being a firefighter and serving the community. He was a former Marine and friend to everyone."

“Our community lost a great man when it lost Kenneth Stanton,” Solicitor Chrissy Adams said. "Today’s sentence is justice for his grieving family and for our community, but the absence of this hero will continue to be felt by all.”