NC man delivering Amazon orders was DUI on meth in York, SC, fatal crash, prosecutor says
A Charlotte man who had been delivering Amazon orders before a fatal head-on crash in South Carolina in 2020 has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to felony DUI from meth, according to prosecutors and court records.
Semahj N. Rittenburg, 30, pleaded guilty Monday afternoon in York County criminal court to felony DUI resulting in death, prosecutor Matthew Shelton, 16th Circuit senior solicitor, said.
Rittenburg was driving a van on S.C. 49 near Lake Wylie around 8 p.m. in November 2020 when the van hit a Volkswagen head-on, Shelton said.
The driver of the Volkswagen, Ursula Toth, 49, of York, died at the scene, the York County Coroner’s Office said.
Driver under meth influence, prosecutor says
Rittenburg was a contractor who had been delivering packages for Amazon at the time of the crash, Shelton said after court Monday.
The S.C. Highway Patrol executed a search warrant after the crash that showed Rittenburg’s blood tested positive for methamphetamine after the crash, Shelton said.
“The sentence was appropriate,” Shelton said. “This was a terrible tragedy.”
According to Drug Enforcement Administration, meth is a stimulant that is illegal when produced in meth labs with over-the-counter drugs.
Meth is “a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system,” according to the National Institute of Health.
Rittenburg was arrested in March 2021 after he recovered from injuries he suffered in the crash, police and prosecutors said.
His lawyer, York County Deputy Public Defender Melissa Inzerillo, declined comment after court Monday.
