Woman accused in fatal Oakland County New Year's Day hit-and-run held on $1 million bond
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - An Oakland Township woman accused of being involved in a fatal New Year's Day hit-and-run that killed a Michigan State University student before fleeing to Thailand, was issued a $1 million bond Friday.
Sue Howson, 57, was charged with failure to stop at the scene of an accident causing death, a five-year felony.
Howson allegedly hit Benjamin Kable, 22, of Shelby Township, on Rochester Road south of Whims Road in Oakland Township on New Year's Day. The crash occurred around 5:49 a.m.
Howson is accused of fleeing the country and making a one-way flight to Bangkok, Thailand. In filings, the FBI noted that Howson left on Jan. 3 and arrived in Thailand on or around Jan. 5. Howson, who is a dual citizen of both the U.S. and Thailand, was picked up by authorities when she arrived in Thailand.
"We are extremely pleased we have our suspect in custody in Oakland County, and we thank Judge Asadoorian for her attention to the fact that clearly the defendant has been a flight risk to the extreme," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "I look forward to her being held accountable."
Judge Asadoorian set a number of conditions in case Howson can post bond. If Howson can post bond, she would be required to surrender her passport, driver's license, wear an electronic tether, and would not be permitted to leave her home for any reason other than to appear in court.
Howson is currently being held in the Oakland County Jail.
