Lawsuit: Horry County Officer Neglected Beach Patrol Safety Before Fatal Crash

New Lawsuit Filed Over Death of Woman Run Over by Horry County Officer on Beach

A new civil rights lawsuit has been filed in the death of Sandy Schultz-Peters, a 66-year-old woman who was run over by a Horry County police officer on the beach. The lawsuit, filed by the estate of Schultz-Peters, seeks damages and names multiple defendants, including Horry County, the Horry County Police Department (HCPD), Julian “Duke” Brown, Gregory Hutchins, and William Muldoon.

The incident occurred on June 13, 2024, when Brown, then the beach patrol safety director for HCPD, drove a full-size 2020 Ford Ranger onto Nash Street Public Beach Access. According to the lawsuit, Brown could have assessed the surf conditions without driving onto the crowded beach. Instead, he entered the area where people were sitting, without using emergency lights or a siren.

“Officer Brown chose to leave the designated lanes and proceed towards the public gathered on the beach rather than stay within the designated lanes by driving parallel to the ocean until he reached the next point of vehicular ingress and egress,” the lawsuit states. Brown then made what is described as a “conscience-shocking, blind U-Turn,” which ran over Schultz-Peters and pinned her under the passenger-side tire.

Schultz-Peters died later that day at a hospital. The lawsuit accuses Brown of violating HCPD’s best practices, even though those practices are not mandatory. Here is a list of the practices mentioned in the documents:

• Keep windows open if weather permits
• Be aware of blind spots
• No texting
• Left hand turns are recommended on the beach
• Always complete a 360-degree check around the vehicle before backing
• Park parallel to the waterline
• Be a responsible driver
• Park in or near the driving lane
• Prior to moving a parked vehicle, complete a 360-degree walk around of the vehicle
• Operate in a safe way
• Use lights and sirens
• Use the PA system to clear beach patrons if necessary

A “designee” for HCPD testified that beach driving best practices training was implemented after another beach patrol officer ran over someone on May 24, 2020, causing serious injuries. However, the lawsuit claims that even before Schultz-Peters’ death, Brown violated these best practices on September 30, 2023, when he ran over Shana Salley’s chair. According to the lawsuit, Brown “missed killing or injuring her by a matter of seconds.”

Salley later spoke about the situation following Schultz-Peters’ death. She said, “Officer Brown knew and taught these ‘best practices’ and was deliberately indifferent to them.” The lawsuit alleges that Brown did not stay in the designated driving lane, park parallel to the waterline, or conduct a 360-degree walkaround of his vehicle before moving it.

Another officer responded to the scene after the chair was run over, saying, “Maybe this would help keep him in the office.” However, the officer later testified under oath that he did not make the statement. He also told Salley that a supervisor would call to discuss the situation, but no call ever came, according to the lawsuit.

Muldoon, Brown’s direct supervisor, did not report the situation up the chain of command, formally investigate, or institute disciplinary review of Brown’s conduct, as stated in the lawsuit. It was reportedly said to be “not any big deal.”

Despite these incidents, HCPD did not make its best practices a mandatory policy or implement “mandatory or adequate written protocols or safety policies” for operating patrol vehicles in areas with many pedestrians, such as a beach, the lawsuit says. When asked why, a HCPD designee testified, “I don’t know.”

Hutchins, who oversaw the beach patrol division, testified that the department “lacked centralized responsibility for enforcing or updating safety protocols, and that responsibility for training was diffuse and ineffective.”

It has been illegal for the public to drive motor vehicles on Horry County public beaches since at least the mid-1990s, Brown testified. The lawsuit lists the Horry County Code of Ordinances, which states that while the public cannot drive on the beach, municipal, county, state police, and emergency vehicles are exempt from this rule.

HCPD’s designee said that the agency does not understand why the county passed that law. As for the practice, the designee said that operating a large motor vehicle where people are sitting, like the beach, is “inherently dangerous.”

A Horry County lawmaker, Rep. William Bailey, introduced a bill in January that would not allow full-size vehicles on the beaches between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. from May until October. It was referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

Schultz-Peters previously filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Horry County, which only named HCPD. That lawsuit accused Brown of getting distracted before the deadly crash, saying it happened on a clear day.

Brown testified that he did not see the chair on Sept. 30, 2023, nor did he see Schultz-Peters sitting on a chair on June 13, 2024, according to the new federal lawsuit. Brown retired on July 26, 2024.

Horry County said it does not comment on pending litigation. Request for comments from the other defendants have not been responded to as of writing.