Two Walterboro area convenience stores are facing legal action from two families who claim the alcohol the stores sold to Hunter Williams led to the death of their loved one.
Hunter Williams, 19, was a minor at the time of the September 2024 collision. Williams is charged with felony DUI involving death and felony DUI causing great bodily harm. The incident took the life of Emma Lake, 9, and severely injured Lacy Wiggins, 10. In addition Williams is also facing two additional charges of purchasing alcohol as a minor. A wrongful death suit has also been filed by the families.
Attorney Mark Tinsley has filed a civil suit on behalf of both families in the Colleton County Court of Common Pleas. In his filing, Tinsley says Sidney’s Road Convenience Store and SV Mart #2 on North Jefferies Boulevard in Walterboro sold alcohol to an underage Williams.
The filing goes on to say that the employees failed to verify Williams’ age and check his ID before selling the alcohol to him. It also claims the defendants “acted as part of a plan to make more money, albeit illegally.”
Tinsley said that the the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) was able to obtain video showing Williams in the two stores purchasing alcohol the night of the incident at the intersection of Pleasant Grove Road and Jefferies Highway, where the deadly crash happened.
Williams was denied bond during his original hearing in October of 2024, as well as a hearing in March of 2025, with the judge indicating that “nothing has changed”, even after a psychological evaluation. Williams remains in custody at the Colleton County Detention Center.
