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Former cop accused of driving drunk, killing one child and injuring four, remains in Polk jail

 
John Camfield’s blood-alcohol level was 0.147 percent.
John Camfield’s blood-alcohol level was 0.147 percent.
Published May 2, 2017

The Polk County man accused of driving drunk when he plowed into five children as they exited their school bus on Friday — killing one — remained in jail Monday.

John Camfield, 48, a former law enforcement officer in Mississippi, was being held at the Polk County jail in lieu of $600,000 bail.

He was arrested on Friday after deputies say he struck the five children, ages 13 to 15, who are students at Dundee Ridge Middle Academy in Poinciana.

One of the children, 13-year-old Jahiem Robertson, died Friday at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando. Another child who was seriously injured, 13-year-old Juan Mena, was released from the hospital Monday.

Camfield was taken into custody by Polk County sheriff's Deputy Jonathan "J.J." Quintana, who pursued Camfield after a phone call by his daughter after she stepped off the bus and witnessed the crash.

A breath test taken seven hours after the crash showed Camfield's blood-alcohol level was 0.147 percent, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Florida law presumes impairment at 0.08 percent.