VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A Virginia Beach judge sentenced Nathan Poole to seven years in prison Tuesday morning.
Poole, 26, was found guilty in April of driving under the influence of marijuana after he hit two women with his car in a crosswalk at the Virginia Beach Town Center in 2022.
The crash killed 76-year-old Rosa Blanco and severely injured her cousin, Concepcion Blanco.
The Blanco family did not want to talk after the hearing; they did try to hold back tears as Rosa’s son testified at Poole’s sentencing in the Virginia Beach courthouse, describing how her death and the fight for justice following it weighed on him and the family.
“Judge Bullock’s sentence does send a message that obviously driving while under the influence of marijuana in Virginia Beach will not be tolerated,” said Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney, Paul Powers.
Prosecutors said they hoped for the maximum sentence for each charge Poole faced: five years for DUI Maiming, 10 years for Involuntary Manslaughter DUI, and 12 months for DUI.
Earlier this year, it took a jury two hours to find Poole guilty on all charges after they received testimony from a master police officer, body cam footage of the impairment tests, and a toxicology expert’s report.
According to that report, Poole had a blood THC level of .0052, which is well above many states’ legal threshold for impairment. The expert testified they couldn’t pinpoint exactly when he had ingested it but estimated it had to have been within four to six hours of the crash.
“We’re happy that it’s all over and we want to see him go on with his life after he gets out,” said Nathan Poole’s father, Richard.
Poole’s father said the family and his attorney had hoped for a lighter sentence.
Poole even apologized to the Blanco family before his sentencing, saying if he knew he was impaired, he wouldn’t have gotten into his car that day.
“I know Mr. Poole is hoping that this brings closure to the Blancos, and I know closure for him as well,” said Poole’s attorney, Diane Toscano.
During the sentencing, Toscano called in a new witness, who claimed to have been at the scene; she spoke to Poole’s character that day saying he was upset and tried to help the victims following the crash.
“This was an individual we didn’t know even existed until after the jury verdict came back and she reached out to my office,” said Toscano.
However, prosecutors argued the situation could have been avoided if Poole had not gotten behind the wheel impaired.
“It’s just like alcohol even though it’s partially legalized in Virginia at this point and time. You can’t drive while you’re drunk,” Powers said. “You can’t drive while you’re high on marijuana either.”
The court also ordered Poole to pay a $1,500 fine, revoked his driver's license indefinitely, prohibited him from consuming drugs or alcohol for at least five years and he is to have no contact with the victim and their family.