Report: Driver in Strip sidewalk crash had marijuana in her system

From staff and wire reports

Published Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015 | 10:14 a.m.

Updated Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015 | 11:48 a.m.

A 24-year-old woman accused of driving onto a Las Vegas Strip sidewalk, killing one person and injuring at least 35 others, had marijuana in her system, according to results of a toxicology report released today.

Tests showed that Lakeisha Nicole Holloway had more than the Nevada legal limit of pot and its metabolic byproducts in her blood when she was arrested shortly after the Dec. 20 crash, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said.

However, Wolfson and prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said the test results didn't change the initial charges of murder, child endangerment and felony hit-and-run pending against Holloway.

"The amount of marijuana and marijuana metabolite does not appear to be enough to affect her mental state at the time of the crime," DiGiacomo said. "She intentionally drove into the crowd."

The 3.5 nanograms per milliliter of marijuana in Holloway's blood were above the 2-nanogram Nevada limit, and the 23.6 nanograms per milliliter of marijuana metabolites in her system were above the 5-nanogram state limit.

Holloway's court-appointed defense attorneys, Joseph Abood and Scott Coffee, said the report doesn't prove Holloway's driving was affected.

"If those levels are true, they are extremely low and they don't indicate that she was impaired in any way," Abood said.

Coffee noted also that the results undercut the findings of a police drug recognition expert who examined Holloway following her arrest and reported that she appeared to be under the influence of a stimulant.

"It's good to see the concerns about ... some kind of stimulant weren't borne out," Coffee said.

Coffee said that while the level of metabolite in Holloway's system was above state limits, it was below a 50 nanograms-per-milliliter limit set by the federal Department of Transportation for pilots, overland truckers and other interstate drivers.

A director from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws said the results don’t provide enough information to tell if Holloway was impaired at the time of the crash.

“One can’t simply look at the presence of THC or metabolites and determine the level of impairment,” said Paul Armentano, deputy director of NORML. “The body does not metabolize marijuana in a consistent manner where we can rely solely on a toxicology report.”

Armentano said if Holloway wasn’t a frequent marijuana user, she could have accumulated 3.5 nanograms per milliliter of active marijuana and 23.6 nanograms of marijuana metabolites on the day of the crash.

If she was a habitual user, it’s possible she could have passed a week without using marijuana and still registered such levels, he said.

The crash happened shortly after 6:30 p.m. Dec. 20 in front of Paris and Planet Hollywood, across the street from the Bellagio. The car stopped briefly outside Paris before accelerating toward Flamingo Road while still on the sidewalk, witnesses said.

The car turned onto Flamingo and stopped in front of the Tuscany Hotel and Casino, where Holloway asked a valet attendant to call police, according to Metro Police.

Holloway was “stoic” when officers arrived, showed no resistance and spoke clearly about what happened, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said.

No motive has been established for the incident, police said.

Jessica Valenzuela, 32, of Buckeye, Ariz., was killed in the incident. Among those hurt were five Canadians, four Oregon college wrestlers, five Pennsylvania college wrestlers and tourists from Mexico, Florida, Colorado and Washington.

Holloway is next scheduled to appear in court Jan. 20 for a status check to set a preliminary hearing.

Las Vegas Sun reporter Chris Kudialis and Ken Ritter of the Associated Press contributed to this report.