Driver Sentenced to 13 Years After DUI Crash Leaves One Dead, One Injured
November 25, 2024
Charde Hardee, 36, pled guilty on Nov. 20 to two felony charges: driving under the influence, resulting in death, and driving under the influence, resulting in great bodily injury. The Honorable Milton G. Kimpson sentenced Hardee to 13 years in prison for causing the death of Raven Wise and an additional 12 years for injuring the driver of the vehicle that Hardee collided with, to run concurrently.
On Sept. 1, 2021, the South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP) responded to a two-vehicle collision on Wilson Boulevard near Fairlawn Court in Richland County at approximately 3:30 a.m. Hardee was driving a 2007 Nissan sedan with 27-year-old Raven Wise in the passenger seat. According to an investigation by the SCHP Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team, the defendant was speeding at approximately 78 miles per hour in a 45 miles per hour zone when she lost control of the vehicle.
Hardee’s vehicle rotated counter-clockwise, crossing the center line, and entered the northbound lane on Wilson Boulevard, where a 23-year-old female was driving. The 23-year-old was unable to avoid the collision and sustained life-threatening injuries from the crash. Wise died on the scene.
Following the crash, SCHP obtained a search warrant to test Hardee’s blood for controlled substances. The analysis conducted by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division revealed Hardee was driving under the influence of methamphetamine, amphetamine, THC, and had a blood alcohol concentration level of .07.
Hardee had no prior criminal record.
The Fifth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office, represented by Assistant Solicitor Paul Walton, prosecuted the case.