(Image: Angelina County Jail)
A Texas father has been charged with criminally negligent homicide after a heartbreaking accident in which his 10-year-old daughter, allegedly at his instruction, accidentally ran over and killed her 6-year-old stepbrother.
Clinton Earl Johnson Jr., 31, was arrested in connection with the tragic incident that occurred last weekend in Lufkin, located in eastern Texas. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by WLBT News, Johnson and his family were outside grilling when the fatal accident took place.
The affidavit states that Johnson’s 10-year-old daughter was riding her tricycle nearby while her younger brother, Johnson’s stepson, was playing on his mother’s phone. At one point, Johnson’s truck was reportedly blocking the girl’s path. His partner told investigators that Johnson instructed the girl to “scoot it up,” referring to the vehicle.
Tragically, the girl “got confused and got on the gas,” according to what she later told police. The truck surged forward, slamming into the front porch and fatally striking the young boy.
Deputies from the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene to find a chaotic scene—wooden boards and metal poles scattered across the yard and the young boy lying on the ground, gravely injured.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but despite medical efforts, he was later pronounced dead.
Authorities also noted that both Johnson and the child’s mother appeared to have been drinking. Police reported a strong smell of alcohol on both adults, and the mother later admitted that she had consumed three to four drinks that evening.
Johnson now faces a criminally negligent homicide charge, which carries serious legal consequences. The investigation remains ongoing as the community reels from the loss of a young life under such tragic and avoidable circumstances.
The case has sparked renewed concern over adult supervision and alcohol consumption around children, particularly when vehicles are involved.
