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DUI suspect in Danish child's death back in Charleston jail after failed drug test


Jeffrey William Wakefield is back in jail awaiting a bond revocation after authorities say he failed a drug test. (Charleston County Detention Center, 2019)
Jeffrey William Wakefield is back in jail awaiting a bond revocation after authorities say he failed a drug test. (Charleston County Detention Center, 2019)
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A man police say killed an 11-year-old Danish tourist on the streets of Charleston while driving under the influence of drugs is back in jail facing bond revocation after a failed drug test.

(UPDATE | Suspect in crash that killed child has bond revoked, months after positive drug test)

Jeffrey Wakefield, 32, was taken into custody at the Charleston County jail on October 8, jail records show. Wakefield had been out of jail just over six months, awaiting trial on felony DUI and reckless homicide charges.

Court documents show Wakefield was brought back to jail last week after testing positive for cocaine in his system, an explicit violation of the terms of release set forth when he was granted bond earlier this year.

Charleston Police say Wakefield is responsible for the death of 11-year-old Selma Akguel in July 2018. The child and her family were visiting Charleston from Denmark at the time.

Akguel died July 10 at MUSC from injuries suffered the previous night, when police say an intoxicated Wakefield drove through an intersection and onto a sidewalk, where he hit Akguel with his SUV.

Wakefield was arrested on suspicion of DUI the night of the incident, after police say he failed several sobriety tests, and displayed erratic behavior and slurred speech.

Breath analysis results revealed Wakefield had no alcohol in his system the night of the wreck, but a full toxicology panel released months later came back positive for fentanyl and kratom.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid the DEA says is 80-100 times stronger than morphine. Kratom is derived from an herb, and mimics the effects of opiates. Combined, a toxicologist says the substances have effects similar to heroin.

According to police records, Wakefield after Akguel was hit admitted in front of officers that he "got high and killed someone tonight."

Following his initial arrest, Wakefield remained jailed in Charleston County until March 29, 2019. He was released on a $300,000 bond, with several conditions, including that he wear a GPS monitor with built-in drug testing capability.

The records of Wakefield's movements and drug testing results were to be reviewed monthly by prosecutors and his bonding agency, a judge ruled.

According to court documents submitted in support of bond revocation by his bonding agency, Wakefield tested positive for cocaine in his very first month out of jail.

Wakefield will go before a judge Oct. 24 for a bond reconsideration hearing.

Charleston Police Chief Luther Reynolds says he's "disturbed" by the suspect testing positive for cocaine:

The fact that this person who killed a young girl already is charged and pending a trial after killing one of your visitors, is not only out, but he violated the restrictions by doing cocaine is a problem. I’m glad he’s back in jail, and that’s where he needs to stay. I have a knot in my stomach. Egregious, and it’s the reason we have restrictions. Clearly, this person can’t adhere to these (restrictions), and it’s put the community at risk again.
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