An alleged drunk driver is accused of operating down a single mom on an e-bike in Florida and driving for blocks along with her caught in his windshield earlier than being arrested at a liquor retailer.
Xavier Omar Rigby, 22, was driving a 2021 Nissan Altima “at a excessive charge of velocity” in St. Petersburg on Saturday when he allegedly struck 38-year-old Kjersten Aileen-Hermance Strang as she was driving her e-bike within the curbside lane, in accordance with authorities.
Rigby allegedly slammed into the rear of Strang’s bike with a lot pressure that it despatched her flying into the windshield of his Altima.
Police mentioned he continued to drive for eight blocks with Strang hanging out of the windshield earlier than her physique was “dislodged from the automobile” and fell into the street.
The suspect left the scene with out calling 911 or ready for first responders.
Strang was pronounced lifeless on the scene, police mentioned.
St. Petersburg cops caught Rigby a short time later at a liquor retailer a couple of mile away from the place the crash occurred, displaying “indicators of impairment.”
Police mentioned they smelled alcohol on Rigby’s breath, his eyes had been bloodshot, and he was slurring his phrases.
After refusing to take a discipline sobriety take a look at, he was instantly arrested.
The alleged drunk driver was booked into the Pinellas County Jail.
He was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving dying, vehicular murder leaving the scene, and DUI manslaughter.
Throughout his first court docket look Monday, Decide Elizabeth Zuroweste wasted no time blasting Rigby’s prison previous and his half within the lethal crash, Fox 13 reported.
“Right here you might be with a previous leaving the scene [of a crash with property damage] from 2022,” Zuroweste mentioned.
“Then, in 2024, the state was beneficiant sufficient to scale back your DUI to a reckless [driving charge]. For functions of bond, it’s a DUI.”
Rigby’s report contains dashing greater than 30 mph over the restrict.
He additionally has a previous DUI that required DUI faculty and a MADD sufferer impression panel.
Further prices embody driving on the flawed facet of a divided freeway and an open container cost, in accordance with Fox 13.
“Right here we at the moment are. We’ve now gone to a second DUI, however this time with extraordinarily aggravating information, the place you’ve killed someone, left the scene and dragged their physique, and I don’t even have to go any additional for a way aggravating these set of information are,” the choose mentioned.
Zuroweste set Rigby’s bond at $750,000 for the DUI manslaughter, however then gave him no bond for his vehicular murder cost since she thought-about him a “hazard to the group.”
“I’m discovering that you just’re a hazard to the group and that nothing else can safe your decision-making and placing your life and everybody else’s life on the street, so that you’re going to stay at no bond within the vehicular murder and the leaving the scene of a crash involving dying,” she mentioned.
Strang was a single dad or mum of a younger son, in accordance with a GoFundMe set as much as assist help her household.
Her family members described the mom as an “angel” and one of the vital caring folks in the neighborhood, Fox 13 reported.
