Charles Varn, a repeat DUI offender, received 25 years for a crash killing infant Gabriel Arroyo in Lexington County. No parole allowed.
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.Â
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.
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.
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.
