'I been drinkin', yeah': Aynor town manager faces DUI, open container charges

CORRECTION: When the S.C. Highway Patrol arrived at the scene of this incident, Aynor Tire Mart was already there to pull Godsey’s Suburban out of the ditch. However, the company did not remove the vehicle from the ditch until after law enforcement arrived.

Aynor Town Manager Lonnie “Tony” Godsey was arrested on May 7 for driving under the influence and having an open container of beer in his vehicle, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Godsey plowed his Chevrolet Suburban into a sign on Enoch Road before ditching his SUV near the intersection of S.C. 319 and Valley Forge Road a few miles southeast of Aynor, according to Highway Patrol records. 

Godsey, 51, was booked into the J. Reuben Long Detention Center shortly before 3 a.m. on May 7, according to jail records. He was released around 10 a.m. that day.

On the night of the crash, SCHP officer Mariah Moore responded to the scene of the wreck near S.C. 319 and Valley Forge Road. Aynor Tire Mart was already there to pull Godsey’s Suburban out of the ditch, SCHP records state. Godsey was also at the scene. 

Moore wrote in a collision report that Godsey smelled of alcohol and had red, bloodshot eyes. She wrote that Godsey admitted to drinking alcohol at a friend’s house and driving his Suburban into a ditch.

Highway Patrol dashcam footage captured the conversations.

“OK, so how much have you had to drink tonight, because I can smell it on you,” Moore asked.

“I mean, I been drinkin', yeah,” Godsey replied.

“Well, how much have you had to drink?” Moore asked again.

“Not sure,” Godsey said.

Godsey twice refused a field sobriety test and Moore told him he was under arrest, records show. Godsey then asked if he could do the sobriety test to stay out of jail, but Moore told him he had already refused and arrested him.

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While Godsey was sitting in Moore’s patrol car, his sister came to the scene, the dashcam footage shows. Moore told her Godsey was fine but was drunk and under arrest. “He ran off the road to hit the sign, and then hit the ditch,” Moore explained. 

Moore asked Godsey if he had struck the sign, to which he replied he wasn’t sure, according to the report, but after being placed under arrest he admitted to hitting the sign.

The report states that there was an open can of Natural Light in Godsey’s vehicle. The can was cool to the touch and still had beer in it, according to the report. An unopened 24-pack of beer was on the floorboard.

After being arrested, Godsey told the trooper that a friend had advised him to leave the scene, but he refused, dashcam footage shows. 

“I called a friend of mine,” Godsey told Moore while sitting in the back of the patrol car. “He was like ‘Just leave, don’t even stay.’ But, I mean, I don’t want to do that.”

In addition to serving as the town manager, Godsey is also certified as a Class 3 Basic police officer with Aynor police, according to state criminal justice academy records. However, officers with that type of classification are allowed to do only a limited amount of police work and are not authorized to carry a firearm while performing law enforcement duties. 

Godsey’s charges are still pending, according to online court records.

Neither Godsey nor the town of Aynor responded to requests for comment. Godsey's attorney said she couldn't comment due to the pending charges.