The Howard County police officer who injured a family after driving the wrong way on a highway in Anne Arundel County last summer was sentenced Monday to pay $600.



An Anne Arundel County judge found Symchay Kon Bendu, 29, guilty of two counts of negligent driving and ordered him to pay a $500 fine for what the judge called a "boneheaded decision" on MD Route 100, the Howard County Times reported.



Bendu, of the 11200 block of Scaggsville Road in Laurel, was driving a marked police cruiser on June 8, 2013, when he attempted to make an illegal U-turn on Route 100 where it merges with Route 10, police said.



A Honda Civic hit the police cruiser, critically injuring two children, according to police. A man and woman in the car also suffered non-life threatening injuries, police reported.



Bendu said he has had nightmares since the collision and apologized to the victims, The Capital reported.



As a result of the incident, Bendu was charged with four counts of second-degree assault, one count of negligent driving and one count of reckless driving.



Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Paul F. Harris Jr. acquitted Bendu of the assault charges, since the crash was an accident and did not demonstrate deliberate disregard for human life, the Howard County Times reported. Bendu was acquitted of the reckless driving charge as well.



Hours before the crash near Route 10, Bendu also got in a collision at Route 100 and Route 2 when he braked abruptly and another vehicle hit his cruiser, according to The Capital, which reported Bendu said he got lost while on duty.



For that incident, Bendu was charged with negligent driving and ordered to pay a $100 fine, according to the Howard County Times.



A Howard County police spokesperson said Tuesday that Bendu, a five-year veteran of the department, was on an administrative assignment as an internal investigation continues.



Related: Howard County Police Officer Charged in Collision that Seriously Injured Two Girls



