Thai woman faces federal charges for fleeing the United States after Michigan hit and run death

[JensenZ]

11 hours ago, mikeymike100 said:

Quite so. There undoubtedly is corruption in the USA, but in your example its a slam dunk?????

There's plenty of corruption in the US, it's just a lot more expensive. 

 

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, webfact said:

A Thai woman who fled the scene of a fatal road accident in the early hours of January 1st this year in the US state of Michigan is understood to be facing more serious federal charges following her flight from the country four days after the accident in an apparent attempt to avoid accountability.

She's going to learn that the USA don't treat people who flee the scene of an accident or flee the country with leniency as they do in Thailand.

What was an accident and would have been of a normal procedure will now cost her dearly.

 

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, webfact said:

The 57-year-old woman was arrested last week by the Royal Thai Police in Chonburi

 

18 hours ago, webfact said:

was arrested last week in Ratchaburi

So which province was it?

[Ralf001]

16 hours ago, Tengu said:

I certainly hope that the Michigan court looks at a felon hit and run, in the early hours of 1 January, which makes me think, probable DWI, more seriously than the victim's father who described it as an accident. 

Perhaps the father, an ER physician, has seen enough of these and read the autopsy report realized that his son was dead at the scene and doesn't want to relive the grief himself and especially that of the mother.

I'm not an attorney and don''t know US federal or Michigan law but I can certainly imagine that both would consider, IMO correctly, the fleeing of the jurisdiction by a person involved in the loss of someone's life would be a felony. Even if the victim were to be found to have had a blood alcohol content above the legal limit, the fleeing driver should spend a serious amount of time in jail if for no other reason than to reinforce the spirt of the law.

This isn't Thailand. Bt100,000 and saying sorry doesn't cut it here unless you're mighty powerful and wealthy. I still think Senator Ted Kennedy should have been sent to jail and lost his senate seat. Yes I am that old and no I wasn't then and I am not now a Republican.

Tubtim was heading to work when the incident happened................... at 6.00am.

I doubt alcohol was involved.

[The Old Bull]

17 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Yes, the US justice system has never been shown, or known, to be corrupt.

Doesn't the US have private for profit jails? Putting people in jail over there is a business ,that looks corrupt to me.

[Chongalulu]

15 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No, a system is corrupt or it isn't.  

One guy has a cold ,another has advanced terminal cancer. But in "Liverpool’s " world they are both unwell,so the same…? ????‍♂️ 

[metisdead]

Some more off topic posts about the US woman involved in an accident in the UK and the replies have been removed.

[bamnutsak]

My guess - I'm not a lawyer - is that Federal charges may be necessary for international extradition. The accident-related charges are for State crimes and Michigan has no standing with Thailand.

 

I doubt that DoJ will bring an indictment in this case.

 

Fleeing the country will obviously not be viewed positively by a prosecutor or, in the case of a jury trail, by a jury.

 

 

I am not familiar with the timeline but if the victim was alive when the driver fled the accident scene, ouch.

 

Her defense would be that she was sober, has a good driving record, has no criminal record (all assumptions) on her way to work, it was dark, there was no sidewalk, while the victim was walking in the road (I assume), had been ejected from an Uber (why) and was potentially still inebriated from NYE partying. It was an accident. Leaving the scene might be defensible, shock, etc. Fleeing the country, not a good look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 19, 2023 by bamnutsak

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, nchuckle said:

One guy has a cold ,another has advanced terminal cancer. But in "Liverpool’s " world they are both unwell,so the same…? ????‍♂️ 

They are both illnesses, correct, and corruption is corruption.  Perhaps in "Chuckles" world there is such a thing as "a bit pregnant"?

[brianthainess]

20 hours ago, Peabody said:

Isn't she a US citizen?

 

yes and Thai

[BritManToo]

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

She's going to learn that the USA don't treat people who flee the scene of an accident or flee the country with leniency as they do in Thailand.

What was an accident and would have been of a normal procedure will now cost her dearly.

 

Best for her to resist extradition and not co-operate at all with the authorities.

[Smokey and the Bandit]

2 hours ago, The Old Bull said:

Doesn't the US have private for profit jails? Putting people in jail over there is a business ,that looks corrupt to me.

So all businesses that make a profit are corrupt?

[brianthainess]

A 57yr old who has moved to and lived in the US and obtained US citizenship, still at 57 old could not take responsibility for her actions while driving home in the inevitable BMW, no doubt from a party and DUI. IMO

( I am wondering if they could still question witnesses at the 'party' on how much she drunk, circumstantial evidence?) Lock her up and remove her US citizenship once she has served her time.

[mikeymike100]

9 hours ago, JensenZ said:

There's plenty of corruption in the US, it's just a lot more expensive. 

 

Absolutely no question there is, however I was answering a question on bribing police and the chance of who would get arrested for the 'crime'. 

Trying to bribe a cop in the USA is not going to turn out very well?

[metisdead]

Some more off topic posts with references to the US woman involved in an accident in the UK and the replies have been removed.

[mikeymike100]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Best for her to resist extradition and not co-operate at all with the authorities.

I believe she has already said she will return to the USA?

 

"Tubtim “Sue” Howson — who reportedly admitted to striking Benjamin Kable, 22, in the early hours of Jan. 1 — will likely return to Oakland Township by Sunday, Thai officials said at a Wednesday press conference."

https://nypost.com/2023/02/15/thai-woman-who-fled-after-killing-michigan-student-will-return-to-us/

[Fortean1]

14 hours ago, thaikahuna said:

Sadly, this lady is looking at a possible 5 more years for interstate flight to avoid prosecution on top of what state authorities give her, if convicted.

Is that you Jim?

 

Terry

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[Adumbration]

22 hours ago, swm59nj said:

She claimed after the incident happened.  She was in shock.  The shock wasn’t severe enough I guess to keep a straight mind to make plans to flee to Thailand 

Nervous shock, as plead as a criminal defense, has a temporal requirement.

 

Her reaction to jump on a plane was not contemporaneous.  She mulled it over for several days and then fled.

 

Burn her.

[tai4de2]

14 hours ago, phetphet said:

Now she faces imprisonment and the possibility of losing the right to live in the US.

Imprisonment yes. The other stuff, no. Citizens have the right to live in the US, and US citizenship generally can’t be revoked over matters that have nothing to do with the circumstances by which someone attained citizenship. It’s actually really hard and involved to lose US citizenship.

Edited February 19, 2023 by tai4de2

[SuperSilverHaze]

Prolly get a 10 year sentence, her defense will tell her she'll do 5 but she'll be out in 3.

[d4dang]

23 hours ago, Aviatorhi said:

Has and will... Take your "alternative facts" somewhere else. 

 

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/us-orders-mans-return-to-thailand-over-killing/Z6EHZ2PU3NZVGRZVNBJRJPO23Q/#:~:text=The landmark decision to send American James Muller,yet decided whether to appeal against the ruling.

 

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/florida/fl-thai-extradition-order-20150528-story.html

 

https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/20/asia/thailand-jet-set-monk-extradited/index.html

 

And others. 

 

[tai4de2]

2 hours ago, brianthainess said:

remove her US citizenship once she has served her time

There's no legal basis for this to happen. US citizenship is very, very hard to have stripped away... which IMO is a good thing as I don't want government to have the power to weaponize denaturalization.

 

This case will wend its way through the legal system, and she'll be judged -- and punished -- accordingly. That, and not the "villagers with pitchforks and torches" routine, is our American definition of justice.

[roger101]

Knowing the Thai police and their reputation I'm not surprized she said "No cops, No cops" and did a runner.

[marin]

1 minute ago, roger101 said:

Knowing the Thai police and their reputation I'm not surprized she said "No cops, No cops" and did a runner.

Hey Rodger. She ran from American justice, not Thai justice. Hard night last night?????

[Chongalulu]

3 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

They are both illnesses, correct, and corruption is corruption.  Perhaps in "Chuckles" world there is such a thing as "a bit pregnant"?

You were already embarrassingly called out on that "pregnancy " false equivalence and were dumbfounded when presented with the comparison of Road traffic fatalities. But keep on digging,Lou …

[marin]

2 hours ago, brianthainess said:

A 57yr old who has moved to and lived in the US and obtained US citizenship, still at 57 old could not take responsibility for her actions while driving home in the inevitable BMW, no doubt from a party and DUI. IMO

She was on her way to work at a supermarket. The kid was coming home and had just been kicked out of an Uber. Unknown why.  

 

Why do you make stuff up?

[Chongalulu]

5 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

My guess - I'm not a lawyer - is that Federal charges may be necessary for international extradition. The accident-related charges are for State crimes and Michigan has no standing with Thailand.

 

I doubt that DoJ will bring an indictment in this case.

 

Fleeing the country will obviously not be viewed positively by a prosecutor or, in the case of a jury trail, by a jury.

 

 

I am not familiar with the timeline but if the victim was alive when the driver fled the accident scene, ouch.

 

Her defense would be that she was sober, has a good driving record, has no criminal record (all assumptions) on her way to work, it was dark, there was no sidewalk, while the victim was walking in the road (I assume), had been ejected from an Uber (why) and was potentially still inebriated from NYE partying. It was an accident. Leaving the scene might be defensible, shock, etc. Fleeing the country, not a good look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leaving the scene is far the more serious offence as it not only conspires to avoid detection/pervert the course of justice but potentially could mean the death of the third party by not attending/calling for help. She compounded that by leaving the country. Had she stayed (assuming sober) she would have been bailed pending further inquiries which may have exonerated her of blame. Even if found to be at fault (assuming no reckless driving) through misjudgment a jail spell was unlikely. Now it is very likely based on her fleeing the scene.

[sqwakvfr]

42 minutes ago, marin said:

She was on her way to work at a supermarket. The kid was coming home and had just been kicked out of an Uber. Unknown why.  

 

Why do you make stuff up?

3 hours ago, brianthainess said:

A 57yr old who has moved to and lived in the US and obtained US citizenship, still at 57 old could not take responsibility for her actions while driving home in the inevitable BMW, no doubt from a party and DUI. IMO

( I am wondering if they could still question witnesses at the 'party' on how much she drunk, circumstantial evidence?) Lock her up and remove her US citizenship once she has served her time.

Hit and Run traffic collisions were very common during my time in Law Enforcement.  Some of the reasons for not stopping after a collision were:

 

1.  DUI(Alcohol, Drugs or both)

2. No current Drives License

3. No insurance

4. Driving a stolen car

5. Just committed a crime before the collision

6. An active arrest warrant for the driver

 

I have never heard of the "I was in shock" defense.  I believe she was driving an imported vehicle and appears to have been a upstanding citizen before this collision.  Therefore, she probably has a current drivers license and insurance.  I see a plea bargain as the logical outcome and a civil settlement with the family of the deceased. 

 

[Ralf001]

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Best for her to resist extradition and not co-operate at all with the authorities.

She can fight the extradition order here and have it tied up in the legal system for months/years.

[bradiston]

7 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Tubtim was heading to work when the incident happened................... at 6.00am.

I doubt alcohol was involved.

Except maybe in the victim's blood. He'd been partying all night I think. The Uber driver mysteriously asked him to exit the vehicle. I wonder if there will be any follow ups on this?