“An automobile collision claimed the life of a Marlboro County man today in Darlington County. George Garner II, 49, of McColl, SC died when the vehicle he was driving collided head on with a truck. The incident occurred on Hwy 34 in Mechanicsville around 2:40 PM,” wrote Darlington County, South Carolina coroner J Todd Hardee on his Facebook page on Tuesday. It’s his personal profile so in between official announcements there’s also “Go Tigers!” and telling people to stop by the Kitsler-Hardee Funeral Home for a free “AMERICAN ARMED FORCES” 2025 calendar.

“Mr Garner was the Mayor of McColl, SC and had recently been re-elected. The incident is under investigation by The Darlington County Coroner and the SCHP MAIT team. When the incident occurred Mr Garner was being pursued by a Marlboro County Deputy. The pursuit was not related to any laws being broken. The pursuit was taking place in an effort to protect the well being of Mr Garner. I will make a ruling on the manner of this death in the coming days. Please keep this family, and the fine folks in our neighboring Marlboro County in your prayers,” continued the coroner, emphasis ours on that very weird part about the Marlboro deputy chasing Garner to protect him.

Per the Independent, Garner plowed into an oncoming 18-wheeler just days after the entire police force in McColl resigned over what the now-former chief said was “unwarranted and malicious behavior aimed at undermining my integrity and leadership… These actions have not only affected me personally but have also created a toxic atmosphere that has hindered the department’s ability to function effectively,” leaving the town of about 1,900 without any local law enforcement.

Separately, WBTW reports Garner was “part” of a State Law Enforcement Division investigation, but no further details were available. Suffice to say this is all very fucking dark and weird. Town staffer and friend Rob Dial said Garner “would give the shirt right off his back for you. I know a lot of rumors around saying this and that and others, and some may be true, some may be false. But like I said, no one’s perfect, we all go through our troubles, our trials. We go through our odds and ends.”