BEAUFORT, SC (July 25, 2018) – A 31-year-old Ridgeland man who struck and killed a pedestrian on Hilton Head Island has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Henry Edward Pinckney pleaded guilty Tuesday to felony hit and run resulting in death. The charges stem from an accident that killed 23-year-old Serina Gayle Hardy. The Hilton Head woman was crossing William Hilton Parkway around 1:30 a.m. when she was struck by a Hyundai Sonata driven by Pinckney. He was later stopped by law enforcement near Burnt Church Road in Bluffton. Officers stopped Pinckney when they noticed he was driving with one headlight.
“This defendant struck a woman as she was crossing the street, and kept driving, having no regard for the victim,” said Assistant Solicitor Leigh Staggs of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case.
Pinckney also pleaded guilty to two unrelated drug charges, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
Pinckney’s criminal record includes convictions for being a habitual traffic offender, driving without a license, driving under suspension and driving under the influence.
Circuit Court Judge Perry M. Buckner presided.
Staggs is a member of the Solicitor’s Office’s Hilton Head community prosecution team. She has been with the office since 2016.
