Kim Johnston, 46, was arrested and charged with two counts of driving under the influence with serious bodily injury to another person, police said. (St. Johns County Jail)
A suspected drunk driver in Florida was arrested Sunday after she crashed her car into a vehicle carrying a family of four, killing a passenger who was also a sheriff’s bailiff, police said.
Kim Johnston, 46, faces charges of driving under the influence with serious bodily injury to another person following the collision around 1:15 a.m. Sunday. Johnston is expected to appear in court Monday and could face upgraded charges in the wake of the passenger's death.
Johnston was allegedly intoxicated while she was driving on Interstate 95 in St. Johns County when she collided with a vehicle carrying Jacksonville sheriff’s bailiff Cathy Adams, 43, her husband, police officer William Adams, 50, and their two children, ages 14 and 16, Action News Jax reported.
The vehicle overturned and the sheriff’s bailiff was ejected, police said.
The family of four was rushed to the hospital where Cathy Adams was pronounced dead, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said. William Adams remained in critical condition as of Sunday night, while the teens suffered minor injuries.
“We are heartbroken to say that one of our #JSO employees, Cathy Adams has passed away within the last hour from injuries sustained in the traffic crash earlier this morning,” the sheriff’s office tweeted. “If you are inclined to do so, please say a prayer for the Adams family.”
The couple and their two children were reportedly driving home from a state championship football game when the fatal crash occurred.
William Adams, who also goes by Jack, had served in the Marines and was part of Operation Desert Storm, friend Robert Germano told Action News Jax.
“He was my boss in Desert Storm, he was my crew chief, so you know, we lived on the same track the same vehicle for, like, five months,” Germano told the news site.
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