Weeks after the body of a 22-year-old was found on the side of a road in Richland County, an arrest has been made, according to Columbia police.
On Monday, 40-year-old James Gilmore was charged with hit-and-run causing death and failure to provide information and render aid, police said in a news release Monday. Gilmore was also charged with driving under suspension and an uninsured motor vehicle tax violation, jail records show.
No bond has been set and Gilmore remains behind bars at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, according to jail records.
The charges are related to the death of Columbia resident Xavier Jackson, who was previously identified by the Richland County Coroner’s Office.
On Oct. 7, Gilmore was driving in the 3400 block of Bluff Road when he struck Jackson, who police said was walking east along the road near Exit 5 on Interstate 77.
Jackson’s body was found on October 8, according to the press release.
Several witnesses told police they saw a pickup truck drive off the road onto the grassy shoulder of Bluff Road where Jackson was struck, police said. Gilmore is accused of then leaving the scene of the crime and failing to render aid to the victim or notify police of the incident, the news release said.
Officers found key evidence at the scene that was collected and processed, and the pickup Gilmore drove during the crime, a blue Chevrolet, was near the scene the same day as the collision, police said.
Members of the police’s road safety unit and the violent crimes against persons unit investigated the death.
At the time of the crash, Gilmore was out on bond following an April 12 arrest on drug charges, Richland County court records show. Gilmore posted $5,000 bail after being charged with drug possession (1 ounce or less of marijuana), according to court records.
Over the past 17 years, Gilmore has been arrested on multiple charges, including several traffic violations, court records show.
