Thai Woman Accused In Deadly Oakland Twp. Hit-And-Run In Court Friday

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI — An Oakland Township woman who fled to Thailand after she fatally struck a 22-year-old in Oakland Township on New Year's Day is back in Michigan to face charges, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

Tubtim Howson, 57, was charged with failure to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury or death. She also faces a federal charge related to her flying out of the country. A conviction on either charge carries up to five years in prison.

Howson was placed in an undisclosed location in Michigan after U.S. Marshals brought her back from San Francisco, where she had been held since Feb. 22, officials said. The location was not released for security reasons.

Howson is scheduled to appear before Judge Lisa Asadorian in 52-3rd District Court in Rochester Hills at 11:30 a.m. Friday, officials said.

"I greatly appreciate the assistance of the Thailand authorities and our federal partners who worked tirelessly with us to bring this woman back and to hold her accountable," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "It’s hard to imagine how you could drive away and leave a person in the road that you had struck and killed. It will never fill the void for the family, but hopefully it brings them a measure of closure."

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

Howson, who is also a citizen of Thailand, then told a close associate that she was going back to Thailand because she thought she killed somebody, officials said in a court filing.

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

After learning of the situation, Thai deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn then said preparations were being made to fly Howson back to the U.S.

Howson said she initially thought she had hit a deer, but when asked later why she fled to Thailand, responded that when she saw Kable’s body, she thought he must be dead.

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

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 when the crash happened, according to an obituary.