Michigan sheriff worries woman charged with hit-and-run by college student will try to avoid extradition

A Michigan sheriff overseeing the investigation into a hit-and-run fatality says he is “absolutely” concerned that the woman accused in the incident will attempt to avoid extradition by going to a country without an extradition treaty with the United States leaves after fleeing Thailand to avoid prosecution.

Ben Kable, a Michigan State University student, died Jan. 1 after being fatally hit by a 2016 BMW 320i driven by Tubtim “Sue” Howson at around 5:49 a.m. in Oakland Township, Michigan , according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

Kable was “in the lane” when he was hit by the BMW, but it’s not clear if he was “standing or walking in the lane when he was hit,” according to court documents showing Kable in was visiting during the holidays. An accident report obtained by Fox News Digital shows that Kable was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol, but it was not a “contributing factor” in the incident.

Howson stopped the BMW for a short time before driving off, officials said. On Jan. 3, just two days after the incident that killed Kable, Howson boarded a plane with stopovers in Dallas and Helsinki, Finland, and landed in Bangkok, Thailand, as her final destination, according to FBI-checked travel records.

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Ben Kable, a student at Michigan State University. (Family of Ben Kable)

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a statement on Facebook that his office is working with his partners at the FBI to extradite Howson to the United States.

Bouchard told Fox News Digital he was concerned that Howson might try to travel to a country that doesn’t have an extradition treaty.

“Absolutely,” Bouchard said when asked if he was concerned that Howson might try to flee to a country that doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the United States. “Any time you have someone that far across the country, every extradition isn’t a bull’s eye … When she’s trying to take some of those other steps, it becomes a lot harder.”

An arrest warrant was issued for Howson’s alleged failure to stop at the scene of the crime, which resulted in serious disability or death, and the FBI says there is likely reason to charge Howson with the crime of an interstate flight in order to avoid prosecution.

“I think our greatest hope and prayers is that the Thai government will step in and include this person in the extradition process. She is a US citizen and it would be very helpful for her to do such things and devote all the resources necessary to further this process.”

Ben Kable, a Michigan State University student, died Jan. 1 when he was fatally hit by a car driven by Tubtim Howson in Oakland County, Michigan, according to FOX 2. (Family of Ben Kable)

Bouchard said Howson fled the country before authorities even knew who she was. If given the opportunity, the sheriff also said he would gladly escort Howson back to the United States.

“If Thailand agrees to this, I would be more than happy to get on a plane with one of our federal partners and escort them back to Oakland County, Michigan,” Bouchard said.

When asked if he had a message for Howson, Bouchard said, “Hand yourself in.”

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Diagram of the crash, according to an Oakland County Sheriff’s Office accident report. (Oakland County Sheriff’s Office)

“Come back. Go to the American Embassy in Thailand. Do the right thing. You know things got worse because you fled the country. You know, extra charges were made for not stopping at the scene It’s hard to tell what charges would have been made if you just did the right thing. And there’s still an opportunity to do the right thing,” Bouchard said.

The sheriff also said Howson’s family was “very supportive” of law enforcement efforts to bring her back to the States and tried to encourage her to “do the right thing.”

Thailand has an extradition treaty with the United States, but some neighboring countries do not.

File: Tubtim Howson in front of a car. (FOX 2)

An unsealed FBI complaint said Howson “allegedly told a close associate after the crash that she thought she had killed someone and was returning to Thailand.”

“When Howson was encouraged to turn himself in to police, she reportedly said, ‘No cops, no cops,'” an FBI official wrote in the complaint.

Ben Kable’s father, Mike, said in an interview with FOX 2 Detroit that he doesn’t understand how Howson can live with herself after she allegedly fled the scene.

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Ben Cable on a boat. (Family of Ben Kable)

“Just the lack of empathy and humanity it takes to then just plan your escape… We can only cross our fingers that we get some justice,” Mike Kable said.

Howson’s husband told FOX 2, “Two families lost someone here.”

“Not my fault I wasn’t even in the country,” he said.