A Florida woman is facing attempted murder charges after police say she told her four children to unbuckle their seat belts and then purposefully drove a minivan into a tree on Oct. 3.
Calicia Williams and the children, who are between 7 and 13 years old, were all injured in the crash, Ocala police said in a release.
Williams was speeding and told the children to take off their seat belts and stretch out their hands before the crash, according to the release.
“The devil can’t hurt you, he only hurts bad people,” Williams said just before the crash, according to the police report, which cited a witness whose name was redacted. “You have the light of Jesus in you and only Jesus can cure us,” according to the police report.
Williams was standing outside of the van when police arrived. She told an officer that her husband had put a hex on her and caused her to crash, and she “kept rambling on about spells and voodoo,” according to the police report.
Williams also told police that she had “marijuana in her system,” the report said.
“(D)ue to tire and furrow marks in the median it appeared the Pontiac was steering directly toward the tree that was struck,” the investigator at the site reported, according to the release.
Williams and the four children were transported to local hospitals. The children are in stable condition, a police spokesperson told CNN.
The children’s injuries were not life-threatening, CNN affiliate WKMG reported, citing Ocala police spokeswoman Corie Byrd.
Williams was arrested and charged with four counts of attempted murder. She will be taken into custody when she is released from the hospital.
Car Crash Statistics
Traffic deaths fell 3.1 percent in the first six months of 2018, according to preliminary figures released in October 2018, Reuters reported.
“Dangerous actions such as speeding, distracted driving, and driving under the influence are still putting many Americans, their families and those they share the road with at risk,” said National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Deputy Administrator Heidi King in a statement.
King added: “Additionally, we must address the emerging trend of drug-impaired driving to ensure we are reducing traffic fatalities and keeping our roadways safe for the traveling public.”
According to the CDC, driving while drowsy is a serious problem in the United States. It accounted for about 72,000 crashes, 44,000 injuries, and 800 deaths in 2013.
