James Sloan

   Felony DUI charges were filed Thursday against a Fort Mill man for a bad wreck last month on Dobys Bridge Road that seriously injured him and his passenger.

   James Clyde Sloan, 59, wrecked into a tree at 3:39 p.m. on a Friday. He was found with multiple open containers of Busch beer in the Toyota Tacoma on the afternoon of Jan. 22, according to a police report.

   Sloan had to be airlifted from the wreck. His passenger, 67-year-old Freddie Neal, was taken by ambulance to the same hospital for serious injuries as well.

   Before the wreck, Sloan was driving when he allegedly rear-ended a Honda Accord driven by 24-year-old Merrell McCain of Lancaster. McCain told police that the rough-looking driver sped off after hitting him on Dobys Bridge Road. He followed the truck “and saw it after it had struck a tree,” a report says.

   A second witness told police that he saw the Tacoma come around the curve toward Highway 521 while traveling in the ditch next to the road.

   “The truck was bouncing while striking tree limbs and then eventually hit a tree, making a loud crunch,” a police report says.

   The witness pulled over as the tree landed on the truck. He then called 911.

(James Sloan in 2019 mugshot)

  On Thursday, Sloan was finally booked into the York County Detention Center for felony DUI as well as driving under suspension, open container and permitting or operating vehicle which is not registered and licensed.

    Sloan, of the 1900 block of Amberleas Lane, remained in jail Saturday afternoon under a $20,000 bond.  He has a history of crimes in York County, including a conviction in November 2019 for a DUI-related offense. In that case, he was released by a judge for time served in jail.

Greg "Ricky Bobby" Rickabaugh has lived in the Fort Mill and York County community since 2006. He has covered the area while a reporter for The Charlotte Observer and a freelance writer for The Fort Mill...