One teen dies after drunk man hits 5 kids who had just gotten off school bus
Polk County deputies arrested a man Thursday night on DUI charges after a hit-and-run crash involving children who had just gotten off a school bus.
On Friday, officials reported that one of the children, 13-year-old Jahiem Robertson, died as a result of his injuries.
Deputies said John Camfield, 48, hit five children around 5 p.m. Thursday after they got off the school bus on Allegheny Road near Athabasca in Poinciana. Officials originally reported that three children were hit.
Officials said the bus was not involved and already had left the scene.
All five children are between 12 and 15 years old and attend Dundee Ridge Middle Academy. Two were critically injured. The other four students were identified as Jonte Robinson, 15, Jasmine Robertson, 14, Rylan Pryce, 12, and Juan Mena, 13.
Officials said Juan Mena received serious, life-threatening injuries, including spinal injuries, facial fractures and head trauma.
After hitting the middle school kids, Camfield fled the scene and hit a stopped car on Poinciana Parkway before being apprehended by an off-duty Polk Sheriff’s deputy who lives in the area and was alerted to the situation, deputies said.
The off-duty deputy, Jonathan Quintana, said his daughter called him when she got off the bus and the crash occurred while they were on the phone. Deputy Quintana said his daughter was not injured, but screamed for his help when the other kids were hit.
That is when Quintana ran to the scene, officials said.
Deputy Quintana located Camfield down the road after he hit a stopped vehicle. Officials said the woman in the vehicle, who is four months pregnant, was injured.
Camfield is charged with two counts of DUI with serious bodily injury, two counts of leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury, two counts of leaving the scene of a crash with bodily injury, three counts of DUI with injury and property damage and reckless driving.
Polk Sheriff Grady Judd and Polk School Board Superintendent Jackie Byrd held a news conference at 10:30 a.m. Friday on the incident.
During the news conference, Sheriff Judd said Camfield worked in law enforcement for 18 years in Mississippi. Sheriff Judd spoke with the law enforcement agencies in Mississippi and said Camfield has an alcohol problem.
Sheriff Judd said Camfield blew a .14 on a breathalizer test seven hours after the crash, which is over the legal limit.
This story was originally published April 28, 2017 at 12:27 PM with the headline "One teen dies after drunk man hits 5 kids who had just gotten off school bus."