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Man accused of crashing into school bus held without bond
A 23-year-old man accused of crashing head-on into a school bus carrying 19 students while fleeing from a deputy will remain jailed without bond, authorities said.
THE VILLAGES, Fla. - A Sumter County father is taking extra precautions after his 10-year-old daughter’s school bus was hit by a fleeing driver earlier this week.
He said the incident changed his mind about getting her a cell phone.
Suspect was fleeing, deputies say
The backstory:
According to the Sumter County Sheriff's Office, 23-year-old Qahiem Williams was seen driving over the speed limit in a school zone, and when a deputy did a U-turn to go after him, he sped off and hit two cars before slamming head on into the bus.
He took off on foot, but was arrested shortly after.
Justin Callaway dropped off his daughter, Lily, and his 5-year-old son, Liam, at the bus stop Tuesday morning. Minutes later, his daughter called him using another student's phone.
'Daddy, I'm scared'
What they're saying:
"The first thing out of her mouth was, 'Daddy, I'm scared. I don't know what to do,'" Callaway said. "So I'm freaking out at this point… I'm trying to stay calm for her."
Callaway said he hadn't planned on getting his daughter a phone anytime soon. That changed after the crash.
"I literally went yesterday and bought my daughter a flip phone because of the situation," he said.
The bus was carrying 19 students, including Callaway's two children. No children were injured.
"It was scary… for my kids and for all the kids," Callaway said.
He said his daughter is still shaken up by what happened.
Callaway said he hopes Williams is held accountable.
"I really hope they ... make an example out of him," he said.
Suspect appears in court
What's next:
Williams is facing several charges, including fleeing and eluding and leaving the scene of a crash. He appeared in court Wednesday, where a judge let him know he’ll remain behind bars without bond.
The sheriff's office said Williams had two active Sumter County warrants before Tuesday's crash, including one for fleeing and eluding.
He’s being held in the Sumter County Detention Center.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Sumter County Sheriff's Office.
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