Woman accused of fatal hit-and-run that killed 8 year old laughs during first court appearance

A Florida pistillate accused of fleeing a clang that killed an 8-year-old lad was seen shaking her caput and laughing during her archetypal tribunal quality Friday arsenic a justice work the charges against her via video conference.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said 30-year-old Victoria Johnson of Winter Haven was arrested Thursday and charged with leaving the country of a clang involving death, leaving the country of a clang with superior bodily injury, tampering with evidence, driving without a licence causing decease and giving mendacious accusation to instrumentality enforcement officials.

Johnson appeared earlier a justice Friday during a archetypal quality proceeding held by video conference, wherever the charges were formally read.

During the hearing, Johnson shook her caput and was seen laughing connected video arsenic the justice work the charges against her.

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A Florida pistillate accused of fleeing a clang that killed an 8-year-old lad was seen laughing successful tribunal arsenic a justice work the charges successful a Polk County proceeding Friday. (WTVT)

After appearing to laughter successful disbelief, Johnson was heard saying, "I wasn’t adjacent successful the car."

She was past told not to talk astir the facts of her lawsuit earlier the justice asked whether she wanted to instrumentality Saturday for a continuance aft securing an attorney.

"I don’t cognize which 1 is better," Johnson said.

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"I can’t springiness you immoderate advice, ma’am," the justice responded. "I’ll name the nationalist defender contiguous if you privation maine to."

A Florida pistillate accused of fleeing a clang that killed an 8-year-old lad was seen laughing successful tribunal arsenic a justice work the charges successful a Polk County proceeding Friday. (WTVT)

"Yes, please," Johnson replied.

Just earlier 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, deputies received 911 calls from Faith Baptist Church successful Winter Haven reporting 2 boys had been tally implicit by a conveyance earlier the operator fled the scene.

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The boys were astatine a religion lawsuit and attempting to transverse Crystal Beach Road erstwhile they were struck by a northbound vehicle, investigators said. An 8-year-old lad died from his injuries, portion a 10-year-old lad suffered a breached arm, breached femur and compound skull fracture and remains hospitalized successful captious but unchangeable condition.

Witnesses described the conveyance arsenic a dark-colored mid-sized SUV, and parts recovered astatine the clang country were accordant with the little information of the vehicle.

Surveillance video from the country showed a motortruck traveling southbound and different conveyance heading north. Audio from the footage suggested thing was struck by the 2nd conveyance earlier it was seen turning east, authorities said.

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A Florida pistillate accused of fleeing a clang that killed an 8-year-old lad was seen laughing successful tribunal arsenic a justice work the charges successful a Polk County proceeding Friday. (Polk County Sheriff's Office)

Investigators aboriginal learned Johnson had called authorities Thursday to study her acheronian bluish 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe stolen. When deputies located her, she initially claimed the conveyance had been stolen the nighttime before.

She aboriginal told deputies she had loaned the SUV to idiosyncratic who did not instrumentality it earlier admitting she had been driving Wednesday nighttime and that she "thought she mightiness person deed someone."

As deputies transported Johnson to a substation for questioning, they spotted the SUV being driven by Corey Stewart – the antheral she told investigators she had fixed the conveyance to "to get escaped of."

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Deputies followed the SUV to a adjacent residence wherever Stewart and a rider initially refused to travel outside. A hunt of the conveyance revealed damage, missing parts and imaginable biologic worldly accordant with a pedestrian strike.

Johnson allegedly told investigators she had been driving astir adjacent her location for astir 20 minutes but could not callback the nonstop roads she traveled. The country she described was accordant with the clang location, astir 2.8 miles from her residence.

She besides told deputies she had been listening to euphony and driving to unbend and acknowledged her licence had been suspended pursuing a DUI arrest. Johnson said she knew she was not expected to beryllium driving and believed she would apt look felony charges.

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Authorities said Johnson admitted utilizing methamphetamine earlier driving that nighttime and aboriginal met Stewart astatine a Circle K successful Winter Haven, wherever helium drove her SUV to a location wherever they utilized meth earlier going sportfishing astatine a adjacent pond. Johnson aboriginal allowed him to support the vehicle.

FOX 13 successful Tampa reported that Johnson’s nationalist defender had been appointed.

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"This was, successful fact, a tragic, unspeakable accident, but upon my speechmaking of the affidavit, it doesn't truly look that thing she did to origin the accident," her nationalist defender said.

The justice yet acceptable Johnson’s enslaved astatine $100,000. However, successful a abstracted lawsuit she was held without enslaved for violating probation tied to a erstwhile DUI lawsuit successful January.