OCALA, Fla. — The man arrested on DUI charges in the bus crash that killed eight farmworkers, and seriously hurt dozens more, last month in central Florida has pleaded not guilty.
Bryan Howard, 41, entered a not guilty plea during his arraignment on Tuesday, according to Marion County court records.
Howard was charged with eight counts of DUI manslaughter upon his initial arrest on May 14, the day of the crash. Eleven counts of DUI with serious bodily injury were later added to his charges.
The Florida Highway Patrol says just after 6:30 a.m. on May 14, Howard drove his 2001 Ford pickup into the center line of a two-lane road just north of the Citrus and Marion county line.
The maneuver caused the truck to sideswipe a bus carrying 46 farmworkers to Cannon Farms in Dunnellon, causing it to veer off the road, strike a tree and flip over.
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According to the arrest report, Howard had bloodshot and watery eyes and slurred speech after the crash, which he said he didn’t remember.
He told an investigator that the night before the early-morning crash 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 vertebra, according to the affidavit.
Howard failed several sobriety tests and was arrested, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Howard, who is being held without bond, is due back in court for a pre-trial hearing on Oct. 8.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
