WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Polk County deputies have arrested a Winter Haven woman in connection with a Wednesday night hit-and-run that left an 8-year-old boy dead and a 10-year-old boy in critical condition. Victoria Johnson, 30, was taken into custody on March 12, less than a day after the collision occurred outside Faith Baptist Church on Crystal Beach Road.
The incident began around 8:25 p.m. on March 11. Investigators say the two children were attending a church function and had crossed to the west side of the road. When they were called back, they waited for a southbound truck to pass before stepping into the street.
Deputies say that was when they were struck by a northbound vehicle that fled the scene immediately. The 8-year-old died from his injuries, while the 10-year-old remains at Arnold Palmer Hospital with a compound skull fracture and broken limbs.
Detectives used surveillance footage and plastic debris found at the scene to identify the suspect vehicle as a dark-colored SUV.
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The break in the case came the following day, when Johnson called authorities to report that her blue 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe had been stolen.
However, when deputies arrived to speak with her, she was not at her residence. They eventually located her nearby, where her story shifted from her car being stolen to admitting she had been driving the night of the crash.
According to arrest affidavits, Johnson told investigators she had been using methamphetamine prior to driving and was “cruising around” to relax, despite knowing her license was suspended for a 2025 DUI.
“I knew I was in trouble and would be going to jail,” Johnson reportedly told deputies, adding that she believed she would face felony charges because she “might have hit someone.”
Following the collision, Johnson met with Charles Cory Franklin Stewart at a convenience store. She allegedly told deputies she gave Stewart the SUV “to get rid of it,” suggesting he might sink it in a lake. Police later spotted the vehicle on SR 60 in Lake Wales.
After a brief pursuit and a standoff at a residence, Stewart and a passenger, Mya Bass, were arrested for resisting law enforcement.
A preliminary inspection of the Hyundai revealed missing parts and biological evidence consistent with a pedestrian strike. Johnson now faces multiple charges, including leaving the scene of a crash involving death, driving without a license causing death, and tampering with evidence. She is scheduled for her first court appearance today at 1 pm.
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