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Driver in fatal crash asks church for forgiveness

Before being charged with DUI manslaughter, he told the congregation he could face decades in prison for the accident.

By ABBIE VANSICKLE
Published May 2, 2006

LAKELAND - Days before authorities charged him with DUI manslaughter, Kenneth Delmar Stewart turned to the congregation of his childhood church and spoke of the deadly crash.

He asked for forgiveness.

"He was very remorseful, very thoughtful," said church spokesman Alonzo Watkins. "It was very touching."

Stewart told the churchgoers he could face decades in prison for the accident, which left four dead, Watkins said. Stewart apologized and asked those gathered to forgive and accept him.

"He said, "I'll be an old man when I get out,"' Watkins said.

It was a somber, sad moment.

Years had passed since Stewart was an associate minister at Greater Refuge Church of Our Lord in Lakeland. He returned a troubled man, one whose sport utility vehicle collided April 21 with a carload of people at Lumsden Road and Parsons Avenue in Brandon.

The driver of the other vehicle, Emily Manzano, 62, was ferrying relatives in town for her daughter's wedding. She and three passengers were killed. A fifth woman remained in critical condition Monday at Tampa General Hospital.

On Friday evening, Stewart was arrested in Polk County after investigators charged him with four counts of driving under the influence manslaughter and other charges related to the crash. Officials say his blood-alcohol level was 0.12. Under state law, a person is considered too impaired to drive at 0.08. Investigators at the scene said they smelled alcohol on his breath.

Deputies said one vehicle ran a red light but have not yet said which vehicle.

Stewart's New York driving record states that his license was suspended in March 2001 for failure to pay child support and cleared in April 2004. He also lost driving privileges in December 1999 for operating a vehicle without insurance, the record indicates.

In Florida, Stewart has been cited twice for speeding, once for disobeying a traffic sign and twice for driving with a suspended or revoked license, according to state records.

Stewart, 34, remains in the Hillsborough County jail on $200,000 bail. He declined to speak with a reporter, but he opened up to the congregation that had given him support since he was a boy.

Watkins, the spokesman for the Florida Diocese Churches of Lord Jesus Christ, learned of Stewart's church appearance from a deacon and an assistant pastor. He last saw Stewart a couple of months ago, when Stewart visited another church to say hello.

Prior to that, the two hadn't meet in a few years.

Stewart grew up in the congregation of Greater Refuge Church on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, near downtown Lakeland. His family, including his grandmother and aunt, attended the church, Watkins said. The family, including Stewart, moved to New York for a few years but returned and rejoined Greater Refuge.

Stewart pitched in as an associate minister, an unpaid, unordained position. He helped with services when needed, said Watkins, who described Stewart as a bright young man, sweet and soft spoken. He was last listed as a member in 2003.

Stewart's mother, Thelma Stewart, lives in a tidy, spacious home in a subdivision near I-4 in Polk County. She continues to attend Greater Refuge. Kenneth Stewart stays with her from time to time, she said. On his arrest report, he gave her address as his home.

"He's not a bad boy," she said. "He's not a bad guy."

He was "saved" in the church in 1993, but he's struggled in his life, she said.

"He just got weak on the way," she said.

Stewart is a father, she said, but she would not elaborate or discuss his marriage.

Stewart also stays at a small apartment just off U.S. Highway 98 in Polk County, records show.

Neighbor Vicky Strong, 54, said Stewart mostly kept to himself. On Monday, the blinds were closed at the apartment on Fox Lake Drive. A portable basketball goal was set up in front of the building.

Stewart had lived there less than six months, Strong said. The two said hello to each other, but that was about all. She would occasionally see him walking back from the store with a 12-pack of beer, she said, but she never saw him drink and drive.

Strong learned of his arrest in a newspaper.

"I couldn't believe it happened to him," she said.

On his arrest report, Stewart listed his employer as Fiber Tech, a factory near I-4 that makes fiberglass insulation. A company spokeswoman confirmed he had been employed by the company but he did not come into work last week.

Stewart's church members will continue to stick by him, providing what help they can, Watkins said.

He doesn't doubt the sincerity of Stewart's public apology. Watkins plans to visit Stewart in jail and offer what comfort he can.

"We can't turn our back on him," he said.

--Abbie VanSickle can be reached at 813 226-3373 or vansickle@sptimes.com

[Last modified May 2, 2006, 02:47:07]