Howard Mathes Bennett and the site where he allegedly killed Leslie Stone while driving drunk (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
A 67-year-old man in Florida has been arrested for allegedly killing a 40-year-old woman in a motorized wheelchair on Christmas Eve, striking her with his car while driving drunk. Howard Mathes Bennett was taken into custody on Monday and charged with one count of DUI manslaughter, one count of DUI damage to property, and DUI with a BAC of .15 or higher in the death of Leslie Stone, authorities announced.
According to a news release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the deadly collision took place in Lakeland, Florida, which is located about 55 miles southwest of Orlando.
The sheriff’s office said Bennett, of Plant City, Florida, was heading east on West Pipkin Road in a silver 2019 Mazda CX5 at about 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve when his vehicle struck Stone just before he reached the road’s intersection with Fairfield Drive. At the time, Stone was also heading east on West Pipkin Road using her powered wheelchair mobility device.
Per the sheriff’s office, first responders on the scene said Bennett’s behavior and mannerisms clearly indicated that he was intoxicated.
“The deputies who arrived observed Bennett stumbling while walking and using their patrol vehicle for support, and that he had bloodshot and watery eyes and spoke with slurred speech,” the release states. “They also detected an odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from Bennett’s breath. After a field sobriety test, Bennett was taken into custody.”
Bennett provided authorities with two breath samples. One measured .159 G/210 L, and the other measured .158G/210 L, both of which are nearly twice the state’s legal threshold of 0.08 G/210L.
“Our prayers are with Ms. Stone’s family,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. “To lose a loved one this way is awfully tragic, but especially during the holiday season. We hope and pray our citizens will make better choices than this suspect did — please celebrate the holidays responsibly.”
According to a report from Tampa Fox affiliate WTVT, Bennet had three children, ages 3, 17, and 24.
Stone’s sister, Abdulia Wenses, told WTVT that her sister had left the family less than a half-hour before she was killed.
“We had seen her 20 minutes before she walked out that door and everything was fine. Ten minutes later, I’m driving down the road and she is laying there in a body bag. She was the type of person that would give you the shirt off her back. She got joy out of seeing other people happy, even if she didn’t have it,” Wenses reportedly told the station. “We woke up Christmas morning without a sister, without a daughter, without a mother. These kids without their mom here, it wasn’t Christmas. There won’t be another happy holiday in this household.”
Bennett was booked into the Polk County Jail where he is currently being held without bond, jail records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
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