A Florida serial offender has been arrested after allegedly dragging a bicyclist to her death in a horrific DUI hit-and-run that exposes once again the failures of a justice system too soft on repeat offenders.
Police say 22-year-old Xavier Rigby fatally struck 38-year-old mother Kjersten Aileen-Hermance Strang on Friday night while she rode her e-bike in Gulfport. Investigators reported Rigby’s Nissan Altima was traveling “at a high rate of speed” when it hit Strang, who landed on the windshield before being dragged for eight blocks. Rigby allegedly kept driving until her body was dislodged, then fled without calling 911.
Strang, the mother of a young boy, died at the scene. Rigby was arrested shortly after in St. Petersburg, showing signs of impairment and refusing a sobriety test. He now faces charges of vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a fatal crash.
Judge Elizabeth Zuroweste, reviewing his lengthy criminal record, blasted the state’s past leniency: “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.” She denied him bond on two charges, adding, “I’m finding that you’re a danger to the community.”
Court documents reveal Rigby’s rap sheet includes numerous traffic infractions, a 2024 DUI reduced to reckless driving, and even a 2022 hit-and-run.
