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Inset: Victoria Johnson (Polk County Jail). Background: Faith Baptist Church in Winter Haven, Florida, where Johnson allegedly hit two boys crossing the road, killing one (Google Maps).
Authorities in Florida have apprehended a 30-year-old woman following a tragic incident where two young boys were struck by a vehicle, resulting in the death of one and severe injuries to the other, as they crossed the road during a church event.
Victoria Johnson faces charges including fleeing the scene of an accident resulting in death and severe injury, tampering with evidence, and driving without a license leading to a fatality.
Officers from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched just before 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday in response to reports of a hit-and-run accident near Faith Baptist Church located on Crystal Beach Road in Winter Haven, as detailed in a press release.
The boys, aged 8 and 10, had been called back to the church from across the street. After waiting for a truck to pass, they attempted to cross and were hit by a northbound SUV that allegedly continued without stopping. The younger boy, aged 8, succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The older boy, aged 10, sustained a broken arm, a fractured femur, and a compound skull fracture, and was transported to the hospital where he remains in critical but stable condition.
On the following day, Johnson contacted law enforcement to report her 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe as stolen. As per a probable cause affidavit, she initially claimed she had lent the vehicle to a friend the previous night who failed to return it. However, Johnson later confessed to driving around on the night of the accident and suspected she might have struck someone, according to the affidavit.
She then allegedly said she gave the SUV to a friend to get rid of it. A deputy asked where the SUV was located.
“Probably at the bottom of a lake by now,” she responded, per cops.
As the deputy probed further, Johnson began to “cry uncontrollably,” cops wrote. Johnson went to a police station for an interview. While she was there, deputies spotted Johnson’s vehicle being driven by a man who pulled into a driveway and went inside a home. He initially refused to come out, but eventually he did, and deputies took him into custody on a charge of resisting arrest without violence.
The vehicle had damage consistent with a pedestrian strike, including missing parts and possible “biological matter,” deputies noted.
Back at the police station, Johnson allegedly admitted to driving the vehicle in the area of the church. She said she had been driving for 20 minutes or longer and it was the first time she had been in the SUV in a while because she lost her license from a prior DUI, according to the affidavit. She allegedly said she may have hit someone but didn’t remember.
Johnson also stated she was a regular methamphetamine user, including on the night in question, cops said.
Authorities have not released the names of the victims. The church posted the following message on its Facebook page:
Our church family is grieving following a tragic hit-and-run accident that occurred after church on March 11, 2026, as two children were attempting to cross the road near the church property after our Wednesday evening programs. One child was fatally injured, and another remains in critical condition. Our hearts are broken for these families, and we ask our community to join us in praying for the child who is still fighting for recovery and for the family mourning an unimaginable loss. Words cannot adequately express the sorrow felt by our congregation as we walk alongside these families during this devastating time.
Out of respect for the families and the seriousness of the situation, we ask that their privacy be honored in the days ahead. The church is cooperating with authorities as they investigate this incident, and we continue to focus on supporting those directly affected through prayer, care, and compassion. We ask the community to keep these families, the first responders, and everyone impacted by this tragedy in your prayers.
Deputies took Johnson to jail. Her next court date is set for April 14.