Crime & Safety

Thai Suspect In Oakland Twp. Hit-And-Run Will return To U.S.: Report

Tubtim Howson​, 57, was charged with failure to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury or death.

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, MI — A Thai woman who police said fled to Thailand after she fatally struck a 22-year-old in Oakland Township will return to the U.S. to face criminal charges, according to an Associated Press report, citing police.

Benjamin Kable, 22, was fatally struck by a car in the southbound lane of Rochester Road near Whims Lane at 5:49 a.m. on New Year's Day, police said. Police do not know if Kable was standing or walking in the roadway.

Tubtim Howson, 57, was charged with failure to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury or death after police found the BMW they believe was used in the crash. She also faces a federal charge related to her flying out of the country.

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Thai deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn said preparations were being made to fly Howson back to the U.S. by Sunday, according to the report.

Howson said she initially thought she hit a deer, but decided to flee to Thailand after she saw Kable’s body, believing he was dead, according to the report.

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"I left home for work around 5.30 a.m. to 6 a.m. It is the winter time and it was very dark," Howson said, according to the report. "There was usually nobody walking on the road there, except deer."

"I did not think I would run away, but I was very shocked. I tried to call the police but my hands were shaking. I could not do anything," she added.

Federal officials noted in a court filing that Howson was originally from Thailand and that they believe she told a close associate that she was going back to Thailand because she thought she killed somebody.

"When encouraged to turn herself in to police, Howson allegedly stated, ‘no cops, no cops,'" federal officials said in the complaint.

Federal officials believe Howson landed in Thailand on Jan. 5 after tracking flight connections she made with a one-way-ticket out of Detroit to Thailand.

Kable, originally from Shelby Township and a Rochester High School graduate, was a senior at Michigan State University working on an electrical engineering degree and home for the holidays, according to an obituary notice.

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