Woman Charged In Deadly Oakland Township Hit-And-Run Pleads No Contest

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, MI — An Oakland Township woman who was charged in connection to a fatal hit-and-run crash in January pleaded no contest in an Oakland County courtroom, according to court documents.

Benjamin Kable, 22, was fatally struck by a vehicle 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.

Tubtim Howson, 57, was charged with failure to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury or death. She was placed in the Oakland County Jail with a $1 million bond.

The no contest plea means Howson will avoid trial, but does not admit any guilt. If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison.

Prosecutors said Howson hit Kable, who was either standing or walking in the roadway, and drove away before fleeing to Bangkok to avoid prosecution.

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 to Thailand.

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. "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 notice.