Rochester Life

Suspect in New Year’s Day Hit and Run Pedestrian Fatality Accused of Fleeing the United States to Avoid Prosecution!

Oakland Township, MI – Feb 8, 2023 – The driver of the car that struck and killed a Michigan State University student on New Year’s Day is named in a federal warrant accusing her of fleeing the United States to avoid prosecution.

Tubtim “Sue” Howson, 57, faces local and federal charges in the Jan. 1 crash in Oakland Township that killed 22-year-old Benjamin Kable, a Shelby Township resident. A federal warrant charging her with interstate flight to avoid prosecution – a 5-year felony – was signed Monday by Magistrate Anthony P. Patti of the U.S. District Court – Eastern District of Michigan.

Oakland County prosecutors charged Howson on Feb. 2 with failure to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in death, also a 5-year felony. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office is working closely with the FBI to return Howson to Michigan.

“I am proud of the work our team did to identify this individual and learn that she had fled the country right after the accident,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said today. “We immediately engaged our partners at the FBI to keep them in the loop as we sought warrants so that they in turn could seek federal warrants for flight.

“I call on the Thai government to extradite her so we can hold her accountable for her actions involving this young man’s tragic death.”

The FBI’s Detroit Field Office is working to locate Howson.

“The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office has worked tirelessly to identify the person responsible for the death of Benjamin Kable. The FBI is now assisting in the effort to locate that person,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office.

“We value our strong partnership with Sheriff Bouchard and the men and women of the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, and we will provide all necessary resources to return Tubtim Howson to Oakland County and bring her to justice.”

The crash happened Jan. 1 at approximately 5:49am on Rochester Road south of Whims Lane. Kable was in the roadway when he was struck by a 2016 BMW 320i driven by Howson. He was pronounced dead at the scene. It is not known if Kable was standing or walking in the roadway when he was hit. The speed limit where the crash occurred is 50 mph.

Howson was on her way to work at a Birmingham grocery store at the time of the crash. She fled the scene after the crash.

Investigators determined Howson left Detroit on Jan. 3. Her itinerary took her from Detroit to Dallas to Helsinki to Bangkok. She arrived on Jan. 5.

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