Las Vegas Strip: Woman Accused of Hitting Dozens With Car Had Marijuana in Her System, Officials Say:
VEGAS – A girl accused of deliberately plowing an automobile into a bunch of pedestrians on a Las Vegas Strip pavement had marijuana in her system, but prosecutors said that it is unlikely she is going to be charged with driving under the influence.
Nevertheless, prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo and he said the evaluation results don’t alter the first charges of homicide, child endangerment and felony hit and run against Holloway.
“The quantity of cannabis and cannabis metabolite will not seem to be enough to change her mental state in the time of the offense,” DiGiacomo said. “She deliberately drove into the group.”
The 3.5 nanograms per milliliter of grass in Holloway’s blood were above the 2-nanogram limitation in Nevada.
“If those amounts are accurate, they may be really low and they do not suggest that she was impaired in any manner,” Abood said.
Coffee noted the results undercut the findings of a police drug-recognition expert who reported that she seemed to be below the effect of a stimulant and analyzed Holloway after her arrest.
“It is better to see the worries about … some sort of stimulant were not borne out,” Coffee said.
The crash outside Paris Las Vegas resorts and the Planet Hollywood killed Jessica Valenzuela, 32, of Buckeye, Arizona. Authorities said 35 individuals from several states, Canada and Mexico were injured.
One man is in critical condition Wednesday at University Medical Center in Vegas, hospital spokeswoman Danita Cohen said.
The child endangerment charge against Holloway stems from claims that her 3-year old daughter was in the vehicle in the time of the crash. Child welfare officials have guardianship of the daughter, who was not injured.
Authorities say Holloway told investigators that she and her daughter was residing in the auto that she parked at casinos, and arrived in Las Vegas from Portland, Oregon.
Coffee and Abood say they expect her to plead not guilty and has not been requested to enter a plea, although one court appearance has been made by Holloway.
Prosecutors say they expect to file additional charges as authorities continue to interview witnesses, perhaps including attempted murder.
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