Virginia
Man who ran over 2 women in Virginia Beach’s Town Center found guilty of manslaughter
VIRGINIA BEACH — A man who prosecutors say was high on marijuana when he ran over two women in a Town Center crosswalk was found guilty Thursday of involuntary manslaughter.
The jury also convicted Nathan Poole, 26, of driving under the influence and maiming someone while driving under the influence for the August 2022 incident that left Rosa Blanco, 76, dead and her cousin, Concepcion Blanco, 79, seriously hurt. Sentencing was scheduled for Aug. 15.
Cases in which a driver is charged with killing someone while high on marijuana are rare, according to the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. Among the issues that makes them challenging is that there’s no forensic standard for impairment with marijuana cases like there is with alcohol ones, where a blood alcohol level over .08 percent is considered illegal for driving.
“The facts of this case prove that there are risks and consequences for driving while impaired from marijuana use,” Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin Stolle said in a statement. “While there is no forensic standard for THC impairment, the jury clearly rejected the defense’s assertion that Poole was not impaired and sent the message that he should be held accountable for his actions that day.”
The incident happened on the afternoon of Aug. 22, 2022, at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and Main Street. The two women had gone to Tupelo Honey Cafe to celebrate Rosa Blanco’s birthday, and were walking in the crosswalk when Poole made a right turn from Main Street onto Constitution Drive and struck them in the crosswalk.
Video surveillance showed Poole didn’t apply the brakes as he drove his Dodge pickup over the women, according to prosecutors. Blanco died at the scene. Her cousin spent five weeks in the hospital.
An officer who arrived at the scene noticed the smell of “burnt marijuana” on Poole, prosecutors said. Poole failed multiple field sobriety tests, and told police he was a heavy marijuana user. He initially said he hadn’t used any since the night before, but later said he’d used some that morning.
Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office
Nathan Poole
A toxicologist testified that the level of marijuana in Poole’s blood indicated recent use, and that it would have had major effects on his judgment, attention, and reaction times.
“This is a very sad case,” defense attorney Diane Toscano said afterwards. “We mounted a strong defense but the jury disagreed. We respect their decision and will talk about our next legal steps.”
Toscano said the case is a good example of how little is known about “how much is too much marijuana before getting behind the wheel.”
“We have much clearer standards for drunk driving,” the defense lawyer said. And without a standard for impairment when it comes to marijuana — even though it is legal to smoke in Virginia — any amount in your system can spell big trouble in an accident. This policy issue needs to be tackled.”
Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com
Virginia
Gov. Spanberger leads Virginia public safety readiness briefing
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger met with public safety leaders from across the commonwealth Monday as part of a “unified readiness” coordination effort.
The governor met with police and fire chiefs, sheriffs, emergency managers and private sector members — including Dominion Energy — to discuss Virginia’s commitment to public safety, intelligence sharing and interagency collaboration.
“As global tensions continue to evolve, I want to be very clear: there are no known threats specific to Virginia at this time,” Spanberger said. “Today’s briefing was about making sure that information can be shared quickly and we remain at the ready.”
The meeting relates to Spanberger’s Executive Order 12, which she says reaffirms Virginia’s commitment to public safety, community trust, and readiness.
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Virginia
Opinion | Virginia Giuffre’s brothers join protest outside Epstein’s former New Mexico ranch
The brothers of the late Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre joined demonstrators outside Epstein’s former ranch in New Mexico on Sunday to demand more transparency.
The protest, pegged to International Women’s Day, was attended by what the Santa Fe New Mexican estimated to be hundreds of demonstrators, including activists and lawmakers, outside the estate formerly known as Zorro Ranch.
Sky Roberts said it was the first time he had visited the ranch, and demonstrators’ presence was important as a show of “force” that they’re not “going away,” as some people, including the president, try to direct attention away from the Epstein scandal. During his remarks, he rebuked the government for what he called a cover-up and demanded the Justice Department release documents that show who visited the ranch, among other things.
“All those names are in the files, and right now the government is covering those up,” he said, according to Reuters.
Epstein reportedly talked about using the ranch (now owned by Don Huffines, the GOP candidate for Texas state comptroller) for a eugenics-inspired plan to impregnate several women to “seed” the human race with his DNA (there’s no evidence he carried out such a plan). Giuffre’s posthumously released memoir includes allegations about meeting politicians and CEOs at Zorro Ranch, which was also recently linked to an unverified claim in the Epstein files alleging the deceased sex criminal had the bodies of two women buried near the property. After that allegation surfaced among the recently released Epstein files, New Mexico’s state legislature formed a truth commission to investigate Epstein’s activities at the ranch; the state DOJ has opened a probe of its own.
Virginia
Brothers of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre visit New Mexico ranch, demand unredacted documents
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