A woman, recently convicted of drunken driving, now faces felony charges for driving while intoxicated when her SUV struck a 13-year-old girl riding a motor scooter on Lakewood Avenue in Portage late Monday night, court records show.
Kameron Simone Hood, 25, of the 6700 block of Joseph Street in Portage, was charged Wednesday with a Level 4 felony of operating while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury and a Level 6 felony of operating while intoxicated with a prior conviction. She also is charged with two additional misdemeanor operating while intoxicated charges.
The 13-year-old Portage girl suffered critical head injuries as she had to be flown by helicopter to a Chicago area hospital. The girl had an emergency craniotomy to relieve swelling and bleeding in her brain and is in a medically induced coma, the court record says.
Hood was placed on probation on May 7 after being convicted of a misdemeanor operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of more than .08 percent but less than .15 percent. The charges were originally filed on Sept. 2, 2025.
Porter Superior Court 4 Judge Christopher Buckley also ordered Hood to go through the Porter County Alcohol and Drug Services Program
Portage Police Detective Sergeant Robert Nichols outlined what happened in a probable cause affidavit and a Portage Police press release.
A powerful storm Monday night had knocked the power out so there were no streetlights operating in the 6500 block of Lakewood Street around 11:15 p.m.
The 13-year-old girl and a friend were riding their electronic motor scooters side-by-side westbound on Lakewood Avenue. The scooters didn’t have forward facing lights, police said.
Hood was driving a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox eastbound on a curve on Lakewood Avenue and was slightly over the center-line because of parked cars on Lakewood Avenue.
In her interview with Nichols, Hood said the roadway was dark due to power outages, she was driving over the speed limit and had taken her eyes momentarily off the road to turn down the volume of her radio.
That’s when the SUV struck the 13-year-old girl on the scooter.
Portage Police Officer Kyle Baugh, one of the first on the scene, said that Hood smelled like alcohol and admitted to drinking a glass of wine at around 7 p.m. at a friend’s house and having a drink that contained Tequila hours before that.
Hood agreed to a chemical test at the Northwest Health – Portage campus.
While at Northwest Health, Hood didn’t provide a urine sample but instead took water out of the toilet bowl and submitted it for testing purposes, the court record says.
More Top Picks Best Therapy Swings For Special Needs
A draw was performed and Hood had a blood alcohol concentration of .08, the court record states.
Hood pleaded not guilty to the charges during her initial appearance Thursday morning before Porter Superior Court 1 Judge Michael Fish.
Bond was set at $8,000 cash, but Hood must first spend 15 days in the Porter County Jail before she can be released on bail.
Hood said she would hire her own attorney. Her next appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. Aug. 10.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.