An Effingham County pastor died Saturday afternoon when the truck he was driving veered off a South Carolina highway and into a tree, confirmed the Jasper County, S.C., Coroner’s Office.
Jeffrey Rollins, 55, of Springfield was pronounced dead at the scene of the single-vehicle wreck on S.C. 119 about a half-mile north of the state line, said Jasper County Coroner Martin Sauls.
Rollins was a pastor at the First Baptist Church of Springfield. He was diabetic, Sauls said. It was unclear whether that contributed to the accident.
Rollins was traveling north on S.C. 119 in a Ford Ranger when he lost control and the vehicle ran off the left side of the road about 5:15 p.m., said senior trooper Hannah Wimberly with the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
He was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, Wimberly said.
The Highway Patrol is still investigating the wreck.
Ga. 119 in Effingham County was closed down while emergency personnel responded to the wreck. Effingham County deputies responded in addition to South Carolina troopers.
No further information was immediately available.
Savannah man found guilty of murder in 2012 attempted armed robbery
A jury in Chatham County on Friday found Anthony Threatt Robinson guilty of murder and other charges in a 2012 attempted armed robbery on Savannah’s southside.
The jury found Robinson, 39, guilty of felony murder, criminal attempt to commit armed robbery, fleeing and attempting to elude, obstruction and making false statements, said Daniel Baxter, spokesman for the Chatham County District Attorney’s Office.
Formal sentencing is scheduled for a later date.
Assistant District Attorney Ann Elmore detailed that on Sept. 27, 2012, Robinson and accomplice Benjamin Lamar Carter, 35, attempted to rob the Coastal Gold Exchange at 232 Eisenhower Drive.
Carter entered the business with a bag and a handgun. The business owner, Timothy Johnson, stopped the armed robbery and shot Carter in defense, Baxter said.
Carter fled to a waiting Dodge pickup behind the Forest Park Shopping Center. The truck, driven by Robinson, was later found crashed into a house at 702 East 46th Street minutes after the attempted armed robbery and shooting.
Carter was declared dead at Memorial University Medical Center, where he was transported after police found him in the crashed truck.
Robinson was apprehended by Savannah-Chatham police after a brief foot chase near East 46th and Harmon streets following the crash.
The state was represented by Elmore of the major crimes division and the lead detective on the case was James Hutcherson of the Savannah-Chatham police department.
Early morning shooting investigated
Police are investigating the early Saturday morning shooting of a man in Savannah’s Metropolitan neighborhood.
The 31-year-old man told officers he was walking on West 33rd Street near Montgomery Street about 3 a.m. when another man ran up to him and started shooting, said Julian Miller, Savannah-Chatham police spokesman.
The shooting victim’s injuries were not life-threatening, Miller said.
Police ask anyone with information on the shooting to call CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637) using the keyword CSTOP2020. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.
Compiled by Dash Coleman