SAN FRANCISCO — A Michigan woman who was arrested in Thailand after being named as the suspect in a crash that killed a Detroit-area college student was brought to the Bay Area for extradition proceedings, court records show.
On Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler signed off on the transportation of 57-year-old Tubtim “Sue” Howson, of Oakland Township, Michigan. Howson faces federal and state charges, the former related to her alleged flight from prosecution and the latter in connection with the crash.
Howson was wanted in connection with the Jan. 1 crash that killed 22-year-old Benjamin Kable, a Michigan State University student who was visiting home in a Detroit suburb for the holidays when he was struck and killed by a BMW. Two days later, Howson allegedly bought a one-way ticket to Thailand. Oakland County prosecutors charged her with failure to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in death.
Court records say Kable was Rochester Road when he was fatally struck. Witnesses reportedly told police the BMW kept going, but provided a description of the driver that matched Howson. A friend of Howson’s later told authorities that she confided she thought she might have killed someone while driving to work, and when encouraged to turn herself in, said, “no cops,” according to the charging documents filed in court.
Howson was arrested in Thailand last month and brought to San Francisco, pending extradition to Michigan.
Source: www.mercurynews.com