67-year old man sentenced in death of Sandy Springs fire fighter

Judge Cordell Maddox at Anderson sentenced a 67-year old man, Charles Pickens, to 25 years in prison for felony DUI with death and leaving the scene of an accident.  The victim in February 2015 was Sandy Springs volunteer fire fighter Kenneth Stanton, who was directing traffic at an accident scene.  According to the 10th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, 15 years of the sentence are what’s termed “active service.”  A blood sample taken by the state police revealed that Pickens had blood alcohol content that night of .254%–three times South Carolina’s legal limit.  Solicitor Chrissy Adams said of the deceased fire fighter:  “Our community lost a great man when it lost Kenneth Stanton.”