ST. GEORGE — The case against a St. George teen has been dismissed following a clean toxicology report and video footage that emerged during the investigation of a crash that left two juveniles seriously injured.
On the night of April 19, two juveniles riding a scooter collided with a Ford Fiesta, driven by 18-year-old Christina Juliana Johnson. While police originally arrested Johnson on charges related to the crash, all of those charges have since been dismissed.
The motion to dismiss charges was filed by the Washington County Attorney’s Office on Tuesday after evidence showed that the 14-year-olds riding the scooter were going too fast and with no lights.
On the night of the crash, an accident reconstruction team was dispatched to the scene, after the juveniles were found to be seriously injured. They were flown in serious condition to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.
Johnson, who was found down the road, was arrested and charged with one count each of negligently operating a vehicle resulting in serious bodily injury and two counts of failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving injury, each a third-degree felony. She was also charged with one misdemeanor count of DUI.
A toxicology analysis was ordered after police officers said Johnson failed parts of the field sobriety test at the scene.
On Thursday, prosecutor Jerry Jaeger filed a motion to dismiss the case after the toxicology results came back showing there were no drugs or alcohol in Johnson’s system at the time of the crash. The motion to dismiss also stemmed from evidence gathered related to the juveniles riding the scooter.
There were many contributing factors involved in the crash, including statements provided by witnesses who told officers at the scene that the children were driving the scooter too fast down the street with no headlights, St. George Police Public Information Officer Tiffany Mitchell originally told St. George News.
During the investigation, officers obtained video that corroborated the accounts provided by the witnesses. The video showed the scooter traveling at a high rate of speed in the dark and without any lights before it hit the passenger-side door of Johnson’s vehicle.
Both teens, who reportedly sustained punctured lungs and rib injuries, were released from the hospital on Sunday and are recuperating at home on Monday, a family member told St. George News.
Following the dismissal that was signed by District Judge Jay Winward on Thursday, Johnson faces no charges in connection with the incident.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.