Beaufort SC Attorney Accused of DUI, Refuses to Take Breathalyzer Test

A Beaufort-based partner of a prominent South Carolina law firm was charged Friday with driving under the influence and also refusing to provide a breath sample, according to officials with the South Carolina Highway Patrol and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Bennett Joseph Schiller, 54, of Lady Island, was charged early Friday morning with driving under the influence.

Schiller is a trial attorney and partner at Schiller & Hamilton, a statewide law firm with offices in Beaufort and Bluffton. Specializing in personal injury law for motor vehicle accidents, the firm was voted Best in Criminal Defense and Personal Injury Law by readers of Lowcountry’s Best magazine in September 2022.

Deputies conducted a traffic stop in Schiller just before 2 a.m. Friday while the lawyer was driving on Sum Point Road in Lady Island, according to Maj. Angela Vince of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

After he was stopped, Schiller refused to submit a breath sample for the DataMaster DMT, the only approved breathalyzer for DUI cases statewide, according to Trooper Nick Pye, spokesman for the SC Highway Patrol.

In South Carolina, drivers have the right to refuse a breathalyzer, but those who do will have their driver’s license suspended for six months or more. A person’s refusal may also be used against them in court.

A representative for the law firm Schiller & Hamilton was not available for comment.

Schiller was released from the Beaufort County Jail Friday morning on personal recognizance.

When we publish mugshots

The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette publishes police booking photos or photographs in the following cases:

  • In situations where a public figure or a person in a position of public trust is arrested
  • In cases where there is an immediate and widespread threat to public safety
  • In cases where the person arrested is accused of a crime, reporters have evidence that multiple, unknown victims were involved.

Journalists refrain from using photographs as the main image for online articles in order to limit their dissemination on social media, unless the public is served by the immediate identification of the accused. Reporters and editors may exercise caution in situations that do not meet the criteria outlined in this policy but still provide a compelling reason to publish a large photo.

Evan McKenna is a breaking news reporter for The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. A Tennessee native and graduate of the University of Notre Dame, he reports on crime and safety in Hilton Head, Bluffton and Beaufort.

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