OCALA, FL (AP) — The man charged in this week’s deadly farm bus crash told investigators he smoked marijuana oil and took prescription drugs hours before state troopers say he sideswiped a bus, killing eight Mexican farmworkers and injuring dozens more. Those details were revealed in an arrest report released Wednesday.
41-year-old Bryan Maclean Howard who has a history of dangerous driving offenses pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence-manslaughter and remained jailed without bond for Tuesday’s crash. The judge cited his past record as the reason for denying bond.
The Florida Highway Patrol says Howard drove his 2001 Ford pickup into the center line on a two-lane road and struck the bus, causing it to veer off the road, strike a tree and flip over.
The seasonal farmworkers were on their way early in the morning to harvest watermelon at Cannon Farms in Dunnellon.
In the pickup truck driver’s arrest report, state troopers say Howard had bloodshot and watery eyes and slurred speech after the crash, which Howard said he didn’t remember.
He told an investigator that he had crashed his mother’s car into a tree while avoiding an animal a few days earlier, and that on Monday night he had taken two anti-seizure drugs and medication for high blood pressure in addition to smoking marijuana oil. He said he woke up about five hours later and was driving to a methadone clinic where he receives daily medication for a chipped vertebrae, according to the affidavit.
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Howard then failed several sobriety tests and was arrested, the Florida Highway Patrol said. He also submitted to a voluntary blood sample and provide two breath samples. According to the arrest report, the breath samples were taken about eight hours after the crash and came back negative.
In court on Wednesday from the Marion County jail, Howard told the judge that he’s a self-employed painter and drywall installer with $700 in the bank, no other assets and no dependents.
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Howard’s head was bandaged, and he wore a protective smock given to inmates on suicide watch. The judge denied bond, appointed a public defender and set his next court appearance for next month.
Marion County court records show Howard has been booked into the Marion County jail at least seven times since 2005, often on driving-related offenses. Records show he had at least three crashes and numerous traffic tickets dating back to 2006, including one citation for crossing the center line. His license has been suspended at least three times, the latest in 2021 for getting too many citations within a year. In 2013, he was convicted of grand theft. A year later, his probation was revoked after he tested positive for cocaine.