Update (Video): One Of Five Children Hit Dies, Former Oxford Police Officer Accused

POINCIANA, Fla. (WCBI-TV) – John Camfield, 48, posted bond Friday afternoon in Polk County, Florida, according to CBS affiliate WKMG. He’s facing several felony charges after accusations that he hit five children, who were on a sidewalk having just gotten off a school bus, while driving drunk Thursday.

John Camfield
(Polk County Sheriff’s Office)

A judge set bond at $600,000. Camfield must do periodic drug and alcohol testing and he’ll have a curfew from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m.

A Polk County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson confirmed he previously worked at at least four Mississippi law enforcement agencies including the Oxford Police Department. The others are the Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Office, the Hernando Police Department and the Tunica Sheriff’s Office.

The spokesperson says the sedan he was driving left the road and hit five children around 5 p.m. Thursday. A 13-year-old boy, Jahiem Robertson, died from his injuries. One of the other four children, also a 13-year-old boy, is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The spokesperson says the children’s injuries include spinal injuries, facial fractures, and head trauma.

Jahiem Robertson
(Polk County Schools)

The spokesperson says roadway evidence suggests Camfield did not try to brake at any point during the collisions. He drove away from the scene of the crashes without checking on the children.

Deputies arrested him a short time later when he crashed into the rear of another car. They say it was easy to tell the he had been drinking alcohol and that he was so drunk he didn’t know he had hit the children. They believe a witness saw him leave the road and hit the children.

He’s facing five DUI-related counts, four counts involving leaving the scene and one count of reckless driving, but the spokesperson believes the charges will be upgraded after the death of the 13-year-old boy.

Below are the charges as of Friday morning:

2 counts DUI with Serious Bodily Injury
3 counts DUI with Injury/Property Damage
2 counts Leaving the Scene of a Crash with Serious Bodily Injury
2 counts Leaving the Scene of a Crash with Injury
1 count Reckless Driving