Accused Hit & And Run Driver Charged With DUI Manslaughter
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – An arrest has been made in the death of an elderly woman who was struck and killed by the driver of a pickup truck Monday night.
The crash happened just after 7 o'clock along NW 12 Ave. near NW 61 Street.
The man arrested is Marty Leven Howard, 55, of Miami. He was charged with DUI manslaughter and leaving the scene of a crash.
His bond is set at $236,000.
According to the arrest report released Tuesday, Howard was driving a red 1996 Ford pickup and struck Fannie Ash as she was crossing the street. Howard, police said, drove home and told his son and daughter what had happened.
They persuaded Howard that he had to go back to the scene and turn himself in. They drove him back where he walked up to an officer, driver's license in hand, and said, "Let me tell you something. I'm the one that was driving. I hit somebody."
Howard told police "she jumped out of nowhere," and he didn't stop because "he saw people come out of the apartment building with guns so he left the scene because he was scared," according to the arrest affidavit.
Officers gave Howard a roadside sobriety test after noticing bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and an odor of alcohol, according to the report.
Relatives of Fannie Ash said she was headed to church when she was hit.
"The burden of the church is that she worked with the women's department, that's a heavy load. When the chips are down we must continue to pray," said Rev. Douglas Cook of the Jordan Grove Missionary Baptist Church.
"She was caring, hard-working and devoted to her family. She was spiritual and kind-hearted. She was our angel, " said her daughter-in-law Roketa Mansfield.
Ash, who was 78-years old, had 8 children and more than a dozen grandchildren.
After she was hit, she was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
More than a dozen family members gathered at the hospital were devastated to learn of her passing.
"I can't explain how I feel right now. She was a God friend woman, she was so sweet, she used to stop the bus for me when I come to work in the morning," said neighbor Theresa McFadden.
"It's devastating, it's devastating. I really can't put into words. It's responsible to hurt innocent people," said Mansfield.
Police records show Howard has an extensive criminal history dating back to the '90s which includes public intoxication and driving with a suspended license a number of times.
