A Florida man is facing charges after police say he drove “approximately eight blocks” Saturday night with a victim on his windshield.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Xavier Rigby, aged 22, faces charges including vehicular homicide leaving the scene, DUI manslaughter, and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.
The incident occurred as the victim, identified as 38-year-old Kjersten Aileen-Hermance Strang, was traveling on 49th Street South in Gulfport on an E-bike. Police report that she was hit by Rigby around 10 p.m.
She reportedly died at the scene.
Rigby is accused of fleeing the scene “without calling 911 or waiting for police and fire rescue.”
The sheriff’s office stated that “Rigby was driving a 2021 Nissan Altima south on 49th Street, approaching 10th Avenue South, at a high rate of speed,” according to the release.
Investigators revealed that Rigby struck Strang, causing her to be thrown from her E-bike and onto the vehicle’s windshield. Rigby allegedly drove on for about eight blocks before Strang’s body was dislodged from the vehicle.
Police caught Rigby at 2222 49th Street South in St. Petersburg, where he “refused to cooperate with field sobriety tests,” police said
FOX 13 Tampa Bay reports that Rigby was arrested and taken to the Pinellas County Jail.
On Monday morning, a judge denied bond on two charges, with a $750,000 bond for the DUI manslaughter charge, according to News Channel 8.
“I’m finding that you’re a danger to the community and that nothing else can secure your decision-making and putting your life and everyone else’s life on the road,” stated Judge Elizabeth Zuroweste.
Zuroweste also referenced Rigby’s history of DUI allegations.
The judge further noted, “Here you are with a prior leaving the scene from 2022, and then in 2024, the state reduced your DUI to reckless driving for bond purposes, which still equates to a DUI. Now, we find ourselves here again.”
“We’ve now gone to a second DUI, but this time the extremely aggravating facts where you’ve killed somebody, left the scene and dragged their body. And I don’t need to go any further for how aggravating this set of facts are.”
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[Feature Photo: Kjersten Aileen-Hermance Strang/Facebook]
