A 57-year-old Oakland Township woman accused of fatally striking a Michigan State University student on New Year’s Day and then fleeing to Thailand has pleaded no contest, according to court records.
Tubtim “Sue” Howson’s plea on Wednesday in Oakland Circuit Court means she’ll avoid a trial.
Howson is accused of hitting Benjamin Kable, 22, shortly before dawn on Jan. 1, 2023 on Rochester Road, south of Whims Lane. The fatal incident occurred after an Uber driver dropped off Kable on the side of the road following a New Year’s Eve party.
Howson, a Thai American, allegedly never called police and flew to Thailand on a one-way ticket on Jan. 3.
She was finally arrested several weeks after the crash with the help of Thai law enforcement officials, the FBI and U.S. Marshals after officials obtained a description of the vehicle and a tip led to identifying Howson as a suspect. She was extradited to the United States in March and arraigned on one count of failure to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in death.
During a news conference in February in Thailand, Howson said she was driving to work in the dark and thought she had struck a deer. She said she spotted a body, tried to call police but didn’t due to shock.
Howson will be sentenced at 1 p.m. July 26 in Oakland Circuit Court. She faces up to five years in prison.
Twitter: @wordsbyjakkar
