LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — In 2023, a mother and father buried their infant son following a Lexington County crash involving a repeat DUI offender. Prosecutors recently announced that the person responsible for that crash has been sentenced to decades in prison.
Eleventh Judicial Circuit Solicitor S.R. Hubbard III announced on Friday that 66-year-old Charles Wesley Varn of Lexington County will spend the next 25 years incarcerated for what he did on Aug. 13, 2023.
Authorities said Varn was driving a 2017 Toyota Tacoma at about 100 mph in the evening when he struck the back of a 2007 Saturn Vue along SC 302 near Pelion. The crash flipped the Saturn and killed eight-week-old Gabriel Arroyo. The speed limit on the road was 55 mph.
Prosecutors said Varn initially denied drinking but admitted to it. State troopers also found an open container in his vehicle, and a test of his blood found it to have an alcohol content over twice the legal limit in South Carolina. A state forensic investigation also found prescription drugs in his system.
Prosecutors said Varn had a criminal history going back decades, including six previous convictions of driving under the influence from 1986 to 2022 before the crash that killed Gabriel.
Prosecutors said that, during sentencing, Gabriel's mother, Gabriella Lopez, described the days since the fatal crash as a "lifetime of grief" and said that the day still haunts her. Grabriel's father, Camilo Arroyo, said that the loss of his son broke his heart and that he never wanted another family to suffer due to Varn's actions.
"This case, in particular, hit everyone that that touched it, due to the fact that we were dealing with such a young infant and this family's only child, so obviously there are a lot of emotions involved. We just took this with the utmost sincerity and utmost seriousness from day one," said 11th Circuit Senior Assistant Solicitor Todd Wagoner.
Judge Roger M. Young, Sr. handed down Varn's sentence, commenting that he didn't know what would stop Varn from drinking and driving. Because he was convicted of a felony DUI involving death, Varn is not eligible for parole.
"Sadly, we deal with more than we ever should with a felony DUI death. This was the only case I can remember dealing with the death of an infant, Wagoner said. "Now we've had children sadly killed. So I think it's just the age of the victim kind of hit everyone so hard. However, all these cases are tragedies, and they're preventable. People just need to make responsible decisions and not get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol or drugs that that impair their ability to drive," Wagoner said.
Prosecutors in the case urged the public to be responsible when driving, adding that if Varn had done so in August 2023, a baby would still be alive.
Varn has already been taken to a South Carolina Department of Corrections facility to begin his sentence.