SUMTER, S.C. (AP) - Authorities are investigating the death of a man who drowned in a private pond while they say he was trying to elude a license check point set up by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Department.
Sheriff Anthony Dennis tells local media outlets the man was within sight of the checkpoint about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday when deputies saw his vehicle stop and turn onto a side road.
Deputies followed the man, who stopped his car and ran into a wooded area.
Dennis says deputies spotted the man in distress, about 25 feet from shore. One officer dove into the pond but turned back because it was too cold. Divers recovered the man’s body in about 15 feet of water.
The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating. The man’s name has not been released.
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