Judge denies bond to woman accused of killing Michigan State student with car

PONTIAC — An Oakland County woman who fled the country after being involved with a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed a Michigan State University student could go to trial next month on a single felony charge.

Tubtim "Sue" Howson, 57, flew to Thailand after being involved in a hit-and-run crash on New Year's Day.

On Wednesday, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Michael Warren set a pre-trial hearing for May 3 on a charge of failing to stop at the scene of a serious personal injury accident, a five-year felony, and denied bond in the case.

In March, a district court judge set a $1 million cash bond, but it's unclear whether Howson posted the bond or had been held in jail. She waived a preliminary exam in district court on March 24 and was bound over to circuit court.

Authorities said Howson was driving a vehicle that struck Benjamin Kable, 22, of Shelby Township, while he was standing or walking on Rochester Road, south of Whims Lane in Oakland Township, about 5:50 a.m. Jan. 1.

Authorities said Howson was on her way to work when she hit Kable and fled the scene. Officials from the Oakland County Sheriff's Office have said Howson is a dual citizen of both the U.S. and Thailand.

Howson, a Thai-American woman who has dual citizenship, flew to Bangkok two days after the crash, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said. She was returned to the U.S. in late February and arrived in Oakland County in March, officials said.

"We are extremely pleased we have our suspect in custody in Oakland County, and we thank (the judge) for her attention to the fact that clearly the defendant has been a flight risk to the extreme," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said at the time of her arrest.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Bond denied for woman who struck, killed Michigan State student Jan. 1