OCALA, FL (352today.com) – We learned more about the man believed to be responsible for the deadly accident involving a busload of migrant farm workers when he appeared in court Wednesday morning.

41-year-old Bryan Howard stood with a heavily bandaged face still blood-stained from injuries he sustained in the wreck and wearing a green smock designed to prevent suicide.

Howard is currently facing eight counts of driving under the influence-manslaughter in connection with the deaths of eight farm workers.

The 2001 Ford Ranger truck that troopers say sideswiped with the farm bus on State Road 40. Courtesy: AP Photo/Alan Youngblood
An aerial view of the accident scene of State Road 40 in Marion County. Authorities say the bus was carrying more than 50 farm workers who were headed to Cannon Farms when the accident happened. Courtesy: WFTS via AP

That wreck on State Road 40 early Tuesday morning also injured dozens of others.

The Florida Highway Patrol says Howard was headed eastbound in a 2001 Ford Ranger when he sideswiped the oncoming bus causing it to veer off the road, crash through a fence and flip in a field.

Fifth Judicial Circuit Judge LeAnn Mackey-Barnes asked him a battery of questions via video conference while he appeared in court at the jail.

According to the judge, Howard was involved in another automobile accident just three days before the bus crash in western Marion County.

The judge told him based on his prior history of arrests on charges of driving on a suspended license and leaving the scene of an accident, he would be held without bond on all counts.

He’s been arrested at least seven times since 2005. Other charges include drug possession and grand theft.

Though he is not expected to be released, the judge also told him he is not allowed to operate a motor vehicle while his case is pending. He is also barred from consuming or possessing alcohol, controlled substances, or prescription drugs without a prescription.

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Howard requested a public defender and told the judge he’s been self-employed for the last seven or eight months doing drywall and painting. He told her he earns about $1,200 a month and has about $700 in the bank. The judge said he qualified and assigned him one.

Howard later entered a written plea of not guilty.

His next court date is set for June 18 at 9:00 a.m.