OCOEE, Fla. – The man accused of hitting and killing a 10-year-old girl in Ocoee bonded out of jail Friday night, just hours after a judge reset his bond.
Bond for Lastevie Howard, 40, who police said was driving his SUV during the Jan. 20 crash, was upped to $91,000. He was handcuffed and taken to jail after the hearing. Friday night, he was released.
Police said traffic cameras caught Howard leaving the scene after two children were thrown from their bikes. Aubrey Clark suffered serious injuries in the crash and died at a hospital a couple of weeks later. Her classmate, Jordan El-Quadi, suffered minor injuries.
At Friday's hearing, Howard's wife testified, saying her husband is a deacon in their church and the sole provider for their family. She said the family borrowed money to pay Howard's initial bond, which was set at $26,000.
Following Aubrey's death, the state attorney's office charged Howard with two additional felonies. He now faces charges of vehicular homicide with failure to render aid or give information, leaving the scene of a crash with death, reckless driving and leaving the scene of the crash with serious bodily injury.
If found guilty, Howard faces up to 80 years in prison.
A pretrial hearing was set for May 21.