VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Tuesday marked the second day of trial for Nathan Poole in Virginia Beach, and prosecutors called more witnesses to the stand.
ICYMI: DAY 1 RECAP OF TRIAL
Poole, 26, is accused of running into two women with his pickup truck and killing one of them while under the influence. The suspect was charged and arrested when he was 24 years old.
This week, he stands trial on charges of DUI, DUI maiming and DUI manslaughter. The latter two are felony charges, while DUI is a misdemeanor.
Poole crashed into 76-year-old Rosa Blanco and another woman in her 70s, as they used a crosswalk at Town Center on August 22, 2022, Virginia Beach police said. Blanco died at the scene.
Jurors learned on Monday that the surviving victim is Blanco's cousin. She was severely injured and now walks with a cane.
A Virginia Beach master police officer (MPO) repeatedly said in court on Tuesday she observed Poole's eyes were bloodshot.
The MPO is the only witness who has testified about indicators of impairment.
The judge limited the MPO's testimony to only discuss indicators of impairment, and not veer into any opinions or commentary about whether Poole was impaired or by what substance.
The MPO qualified as an expert witness on certain topics, including DUI crashes and investigations.
She did, however, testify about Poole smelling like burnt marijuana on the day of the crash.
Through police body-worn camera video, jurors heard Poole tell the MPO he had smoked marijuana, specifically a blunt, the night before.
Jurors also watched police body-worn camera video of Poole doing a number of field sobriety tests.
The MPO testified she noticed Poole swaying, as well as body and eye tremors for some of the tests.
During cross-examination, Poole’s attorney suggested nerves and emphasized her client’s cooperation following the crash.
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The MPO said multiple hours later she did what’s called a drug influence examination in an inside room with Poole at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center.
This evaluation was not recorded on a body-cam because of policies surrounding filming inside the jail, according to the MPO. Those policies have since changed, which the MPO said would allow her to film if that examination happened today.
It was during the drug influence examination at the correctional center, the MPO recalled, when Poole described to her smoking weed approximately four times on a daily basis and routinely since he was 11 years old.
Poole used weed "very, very, very, very heavily," the MPO recalled Poole saying.
Poole then admitted to smoking weed at around 10 a.m. when he woke up that day on August, 22, 2022, according to the MPO. This statement went against Poole's earlier statement to the MPO.
She also said in court that she remembered Poole expressing how he sought out marijuana specifically with a higher THC content.
THC (delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is considered the main ingredient that produces the psychoactive effect, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
During cross-examination, Poole's attorney reiterated how the drug influence examination wasn't recorded. To which, the MPO restated policies that prohibited her at the time.
Following the MPO, a Virginia Beach lead crash investigator took the stand late Tuesday afternoon.
His body-cam video viewed by the jury showed him searching through the defendant’s pickup truck.
The officer said he found weed in the center console. During cross-examination, he said it wasn’t burnt.
On Wednesday, jurors will likely hear from a toxicologist about the results of Poole’s blood test.
Poole's attorney acknowledged multiple times in court on Tuesday that records will show marijuana in her client's system. But she said, ultimately, what she's arguing is whether that caused impairment at the time of the crash.
Prosecutors are still presenting their case; defense attorneys have not yet called their witnesses. The trial is expected to last all week.