OCALA, Fla. (TND) — The driver of a pickup truck that crashed into a bus in Florida, killing eight people, told authorities he smoked marijuana oil and took prescription drugs hours before the collision, according to an arrest report.
Bryan Maclean Howard, 41, who has an extensive record of arrests, appeared in court Wednesday. He pleaded not guilty to eight counts of driving under the influence-manslaughter and was denied bond.
The National Desk obtained the arrest report, with troopers noting Maclean Howard had bloodshot and watery eyes. He was also slurring his speech after the crash, which he said he didn’t remember.
He told a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) investigator he had crashed his mother’s car into a tree while avoiding an animal a few days earlier and took two anti-seizure drugs and medication for high blood pressure in addition to smoking marijuana oil the night before the crash. 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.
Howard then failed several sobriety tests and was arrested, the FHP said.
Lt. Pat Riordan, who is public affairs officer for the FHP, said a 2010 International Bus was carrying at least 50 migrant farm workers when a 2001 Ford Ranger driving in the opposite direction traveled toward the center line along a state highway Tuesday around 6:35 a.m. The bus and truck then sideswiped each other, he said.
Riordan said the veered off the road onto the grassy shoulder after the collision. It crashed through a fence, hit a tree and overturned, ending up on its side in a field.
Authorities said the victims were migrants workers, with several from Mexico. Six of the dead have been identified: Evarado Ventura Hernández, 30; Cristian Salazar Villeda, 24; Alfredo Tovar Sánchez, 20; Isaías Miranda Pascal, 21; José Heriberto Fraga Acosta, 27; and Manuel Pérez Ríos, 46.
At least 40 other people were hurt and taken to area hospitals.
Maclean Howard was also injured in the crash, said authorities. His most recent mugshot shows him with blood on his neck.
The latest charges are felonies, with other unrelated charges in Florida dating back nearly 20 years.
Oct. 1, 2005
According to arrest records from the Marion County Sheriff's Office, he was charged with trespassing in 2005.
Nov. 21, 2009
Records show he was charged with marijuana possession and narcotic equipment possession in 2009.
July 3, 2013
He was charged with driving on a suspended license, as well as dealing in stolen property and grand theft, in 2013. He spent nearly two months in jail, according to records.
Jan. 21, 2014
He was arrested again six months later for violating his probation. This time, he served more than five months behind bars, records show.
Oct. 18, 2018
In 2018, he was charged with a traffic violation while his license was suspended, according to records.
Aug. 31, 2019
He was charged for his involvement in a hit-and-run crash that resulted in property damage in 2019.
Aug. 13, 2021
He was again charged for driving on a suspended license in 2021. It marked his third violation for this offense. Records indicate he spent a month behind bars.
As for the fatal crash, authorities said workers were being transported to Cannon Farms in Dunellon, which has been harvesting watermelons.
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Dave Kerner said the names of the people who were killed will be released pending next of kin notification.
"Our sympathies and prayers are with the families of the deceased," Kerner said in a news release.
Alicia Bárcena, Mexico’s foreign relations secretary, on Tuesday said via the social media platform X that she was sorry to report that a tragic automotive accident had happened in Florida with Mexican agricultural workers involved. She didn’t say how many of the more than four dozen people on board were from Mexico.
The Mexican consulate in Orlando was working to find out more and provide support, according to a post on X.
Olvera Trucking recently advertised for a temporary driver who would bus workers to watermelon fields and then operate harvesting equipment. The pay was $14.77 an hour.
A Labor Department document shows Olvera recently applied for 43 H-2A workers to harvest watermelons at Cannon Farms this month. The company again offered a base rate of $14.77 an hour, with promises of housing and transportation to and from the fields.
The H-2A program allows U.S. employers or agents who meet certain regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals into the country to fill temporary agricultural jobs. Florida farms employ more H-2A workers than any other state, about 50,000 a year, according to the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association.
Thank you to all who have reached out and offered condolences, help and prayers” for the families and loved ones involved in the crash, Cannon Farms posted on its Facebook page, adding that the family-owned operation would stay closed through Wednesday.Cannon Farms grows peanuts and watermelons, which it sends to grocery stores across the U.S. and Canada.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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