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SALT LAKE CITY — A man with a history of drinking and driving has been charged for allegedly hitting and killing a 4-year-old boy crossing a Salt Lake street.
Carl “CJ” Wayne Johnson, 56, of Salt Lake City, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with automobile homicide, a second-degree felony; DUI, a third-degree felony; having no car insurance, a class C misdemeanor; and having no registration and failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, both infractions.
On Saturday, Holden Curtis was crossing the street on a bicycle with his mother, in a crosswalk at the intersection of 900 W. California Ave. Johnson hit both of them while making a turn in his GMC truck, according to charing documents.
“The truck continued to drive as the little boy’s bike was wrapped underneath the truck,” one witness told police, the charges state.
The mother was treated at a local hospital for a broken leg.
Related:
Child hit, killed at Salt Lake City intersection; driver suspected of DUI
A 4-year-old boy died Saturday morning after being hit by a car in Salt Lake City.Officers who questioned Johnson immediately detected an odor of alcohol and noticed his “red bloodshot eyes,” the charge state. He was given field sobriety tests and police say he failed six out of six tests.
Johnson told officers that he had had two 12-ounce beers at work approximately two hours earlier, according to the charges.
In their court filing, prosecutors noted Johnson has a history of impaired driving and is subject to enhanced penalties if convicted. He was convicted of DUI, a class B misdemeanor, in 1988 and 1989, and pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving in 1999 that was originally filed as a DUI.
Bail was set at $200,000.
A GoFundMe campaign was set up to help the family cover expenses for Holden’s funeral, which was held Friday. Another GoFundMe campaign is also raising money for the child’s mother.
