“Absolute danger to the community”

MIAMI — Several days after police filed a police report in her case, model Maecee Marie Lathers was charged with several serious crimes by a Miami-Dade County judge Friday morning after police said she attempted to walk away from a car crash she caused in downtown Miami that killed two people the previous weekend.

Lathers, 24, of Miami Gardens, should not have been behind the wheel at the time of the crash on Saturday, according to Miami police. She told officers she was under the influence of a party drug called “pink cocaine” at the time of the crash, authorities allege.

Judge Mindy Glazer did not mince her words during her court appearance on Friday, calling Lathers an “absolute danger to the community.”

The public prosecutor is considering charging her with manslaughter while intoxicated pending a toxicology report.

On her Instagram profile, Lathers can be seen in various poses, is associated with two modeling agencies, and uses various emojis to declare that she has “(money) on my (brain).” She describes herself as an “idiot in real life” and uses a smiling emoji with her tongue sticking out instead of the “O.”

She usually wears revealing tops in her photos. On Friday, she appeared before Glazer in a green anti-suicide vest. Her lawyer, Martez Gordon, was connected via video conference.

According to police, Lathers was driving a Mercedes-Benz sedan south on North Miami Avenue shortly after 6:45 a.m. Saturday morning when she ran a red light at Eighth Street and collided with a black Range Rover driven by a 24-year-old man.

Both vehicles then collided with a Suzuki sedan carrying three people, police said.

The Suzuki's rear seat passenger died at the scene of the accident, while the driver died at Jackson Memorial Hospital, the police report said.

Police said Lathers and the driver of the Range Rover were also injured. She was at Jackson Memorial Hospital awaiting her court date.

Authorities said passersby had to arrest her and bring her back to the crime scene. According to a police report, her driver's license had been suspended since January.

In open court, Glazer read the portion of Lathers' arrest report, which had been publicly redacted until Friday, detailing her statement to police after the accident.

“She stated that she was under the influence of Tusi, a well-known party drug, and that she came from the future and had a crystal ball,” Glazer read.

Tusi is described in a 2023 medical journal article as a “new blend of ketamine,” also known as “pink cocaine.”

In court Friday, prosecutors called Lathers, originally from Fort Plain, New York, a “potential flight risk” due to the severity of the current – and likely future – charges and asked for bail of $500,000.

“Based on the results of the toxicology exam, we will likely charge her with DUI manslaughter,” a prosecutor said in court. “Based on her statements and vomiting, it appears she was under the influence of controlled substances at the time of the incident.”

Gordon called the $500,000 bail request “unreasonable.”

“She is not a threat to the community. She has a college degree. She has been in the state of Florida for almost two years, your honor,” he said. “So I don't think there is anything to indicate that she is a flight risk.”

Glazer found there was probable cause to charge Lathers with eight felonies, including two counts of leaving the scene of an accident causing death. She ordered Lathers placed under house arrest if she posts a reduced bond of $140,000 and prohibited her from driving.

The judge’s parting words were stern.

“She is an absolute danger to the community for killing or driving when she shouldn't be in a car. From what she said, she is clearly impaired,” Glazer said. “And if the citizens or witnesses nearby hadn't stopped her, she would have fled completely.”

According to online prison records, Lathers remained at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Friday.