Car strikes, kills 18 year-old inmate on litter crew
Greenwood, SC Index-Journal

Columbia (AP) - An 18 year-old inmate is dead after a hit-and-run driver struck him on Interstate 20 this monring as he worked on a litter crew.

Travis Williams had been in Wateree River Correctional Institution since July 2 as a youthful offender.

He had been convicted of  breaking into a vehicle, State Corrections Department spokesman John Barkley said.

Williams, who turned 18 two weeks ago, was standing five to ten feet off I-20 at 8:40am when a dark green Plymouth Voyager Van struck him and continued westbouth on the interstate, Barkley said.

A witness told investigators they saw the driver stop his van on the interstate to inspect damage before driving off, Highway Patrol Cpl. Jones Gamble said.

A witness said the van's license tag started with a "E" and may have been from out of state, Gamble said.

Williams is the first inmate struck and killed by a car while wporking with a roadside litter crew, Barkley said. 

The Corrections Department halted operations by more than 20 inmate crews temporarily for safety reviews.