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.

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