Thomas Rando, a 32-year-old resident of 2551 North State Street in Bunnell, was arrested Thursday and charged with a felony count of driving on a suspended license and causing a death, that of 10-year-old Hannah Beard.
Rando was at the wheel of a 2000 Ford F-150 the evening of November 17, 2017, with Beard, her mother Nichole, 37, and her brother Masen, 11, all in the vehicle when Rando failed to control the pick-up as it was merging onto I-95’s southbound lanes from Palm Coast Parkway, crossing all three lanes, striking the guardrail and overturning the vehicle. Hannah’s mother and brother were injured but survived. Hannah had been a student at Bunnell Elementary.
Rando has a history of driving on suspended or revoked licenses going back to 2005, when he was first found guilty of doing so. He was charged again with driving on a suspended license in 2007, and the following year faced a charge of having more than one license (that charge was dropped), along with a minor drug charge. In 2015 he was found guilty of driving on a license expired longer than six months, and the following year he was found guilty of driving without a license.
Two days after the crash that took Hannah’s life, Rando was arrested on four drug charges, two of them felonies. According to his arrest report at the time, he had been rushing to get drugs out of the house on Zaun Trail that he had shared with Hannah’s mother until a friend of the child’s mother ordered him out. He was found guilty on all four charges last April in a plea agreement that spared him prison. He was given credit for serving almost three months in jail and sentenced to six months’ house arrest followed by two years’ probation.
He violated those terms within weeks: a sheriff’s deputy familiar with Rando spotted him riding a bicycle near the Thunder Gulch campground–with Nicole Beard–though he was required to stay put at home. He was arrested on the violation and served two months at the county jail.
Concurrent with all that going on, Rando was again charged with driving on a suspended license and booked at the jail. He was found guilty–and sentenced to time already served.
The latest arrest is for a third-degree felony. He was booked at the jail early the morning of Feb. 14. He remains at the jail on $10,000 bond.
lnzc says
I hope he goes to jail a long time
What is wrong with court system,should have locked up long ago
Brian says
I’m a little confused – if he killed Hannah in November 2017 why is he just now being arrested for it?
Laura Shaver says
Why do we keep letting him out? He doesn’t learn from his mistakes, doesn’t care about anything or anyone but himself. He will hurt or kill someone els “accidentally”. Through away the key!
hawkeye says
Because of our revolving door judicial system a little girl is dead, this asshole should have been kept in jail and not been driving, his record speaks for itself.
ASF says
I bet Mommy Dearest will miss him.
Richard says
When will Florida institute the Three Strikes Law and put these repeat offenders behind bars forever so they will never harm or kill innocent people like Hannah? So much for rehabilitation of repeat offenders, Eh? How is that working out for those that still think chronic criminals can be “fixed”?
Outsider says
Maybe the mother shouldn’t have been riding around in a car with this drug addicted jackass and her children. I hope she’s cleaned up her act since then.
Anonymous says
Somebody dropped the ball by not drug testing him at the time of the crash. His not having a license is not what caused the crash.
Born and Raised Here says
He should have been wearing an GPS Ankle Bracklet
Agkistrodon says
Good thing we have so many so worried about restoring felon voting rights and NOT keeping the Felons Locked UP. “The best predictor of FUTURE actions is past ACTIONS.”, Dr Phil Mcgraw.
Concerned Citizen says
I’m sorry for their loss but plenty of blame to go around here.
The mother should have never of had her kids in the truck with him to begin with. She knew his background and she should be held responsible as well. Now Hannah is dead because of this bad choice.
Why he was out and still driving is a direct result of our Judicial System not doing it’s job. Repeat offenders keep getting pleas and probation instead of enhanced sentencing. I don’t care if court dockets and prisons are full. On these more serious charges the DA/Judges need to do their jobs.
Pleas and probation are for first time offenders who show they can turn their situation around and do the right thing. Not for repeat offenders who have no remorse and keep going back to court. It baffles me that some of these offenders go in front of the same Judge time and time again yet keep getting breaks.
The actions leading to Hannah’s death are a direct result of poor choices. Not mistakes. I get tired of hearing oh he/she made a mistake. No a mistake is missing your exit on the interstate or turning left instead of right. When you make a choice to break the law then kill someone it becomes a poor choice.
DA’s and Judges need to step it up and do their jobs. Unless you’re in court for a first time non serious misdemeanor there doesn’t need to be automatic pleas and probation. Especially for repeat offenders who just committed vehicular man slaughter and didn’t even get charged properly.
Kodie says
Doesnt bring up how he was also pulled over days before the wreck for driving without a license. There is a lot that isn’t said on this but over all I’m glad my sister is finally getting some justice. #Justice4Hannah
Hannah's mom says
To whom thinks they know me and doesn’t yes I’m clean and me and my son are doing amazing and trying to do the best I can to stay strong as far as knowing his background do you do back ground checks on every person that comes into your life no you dont. I will now promise that but as for being in a relationship I would rather not I have my three kids it’s all I need I wish I would of stayed single God takes you when it’s your time my daughter ment the world to me I worked hard to support them by myself while there father was in prison my kids had everything they needed wanted did well in school so you people can judge me all you want I wasn’t perfect and I pay the altimate price for that I live 300 Miles away from where he was arrested and am trying to move on from the worst thing in my life please allow me and my son to do that in peace
Allen A Martinez says
He needs to be locked up and throw the key away he took an innocent life he’ll get out and do it all over again
Ricardo Cabeza says
The mother should be held equally responsible for keeping her children in the presence of this cretin. I know for a fact that she was a drug addict that openly sought the company of other drug users. She allowed him to drive her children with no seatbelts when Hannah was killed. Furthermore, after this thing killed her child, she chose to stay in his company.
She should permanently lose the child who survived, and receive the exact same jail time as her “man”.
Tom Synder says
The mother chose him and drugs over her children over and over, yet never charged with willful neglect. She needs to be put away also. It appears if you want to get away with something, do it in Flagler.
otheropinion says
Convicted Felons voting rights are not reinstated for murder and sexual convictions
From The executive director of the Cornell University Prison Education Program……”Another 100,000 people remain permanently barred from voting, because the initiative excluded people convicted of murder or sexual offenses.”
Kodie Manning says
I am the oldest brother and what’s sad is he was let out of jail and has been able to keep getting continued… but if you want know how he keeps getting out. He is informate for the flagler police department
Kodie Manning says
That was the main hospital in daytona beach that dropped that ball.