Woman Killed Trying To Save Dog In Riverside, Suspect Charged

RIVERSIDE, CA — A convicted DUI offender who allegedly struck and killed a 33-year-old woman trying to help an injured dog on a Riverside street was charged Wednesday with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Mason Rodney Howard, 22, of Laguna Niguel was arrested Saturday night after allegedly running over Kimberly Bennett of San Bernardino on Mission Inn Avenue.

Along with the felony manslaughter count, Howard is charged with a sentence-enhancing allegation of fleeing the scene of a crime. He's being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside and is slated to make his initial court appearance Thursday at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

According to Riverside police Sgt. Ryan Taack, Bennett was out walking when she witnessed a dog hit by a car in the 4600 block of Mission Inn, near Indian Hills Road, about 7:50 p.m. Saturday.

The good Samaritan was on the sidewalk but walked into eastbound lanes to try to protect the injured canine, the sergeant said.

Moments later, Howard approached the location in his Ford Ranger pickup, traveling at an unknown speed, and slammed into the woman, without stopping, Taack alleged.

Witnesses called 911, and patrol officers and paramedics converged on the location. Taack said the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

An alert driver in the area saw the Ford racing away after the alleged hit-and-run and followed it into downtown Riverside, at which point he contacted police, according to Taack. Howard was stopped and taken into custody without incident 45 minutes later.

According to court records, the defendant has a misdemeanor DUI conviction stemming from an offense that occurred in the Coachella Valley in 2017.