VIRGINIA BEACH — A man who killed one woman and seriously injured her cousin when he ran them down in a Town Center crosswalk while high on marijuana was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison.
Nathan Poole, 26, of Chesapeake, also was ordered to pay a $1,500 fine. His driver’s license was revoked indefinitely.
The sentence issued by Circuit Judge Tanya Bullock was within state sentencing guidelines, which recommended Poole serve between 3½ and 8½ years. The guidelines suggest a punishment based on a defendant’s background and the circumstances of the crime.
Earlier this year, a jury found Poole guilty of involuntary manslaughter, driving under the influence and maiming someone while driving under the influence.
The crash occurred on the afternoon of Aug. 22, 2022. Rosa Blanco, 76, and her cousin, Concepcion Blanco, 79, had just finished celebrating Rosa’s birthday at Tupelo Honey Cafe, and were walking in the crosswalk when Poole turned his Dodge pickup right onto Constitution Drive and struck them.
Rosa Blanco died at the scene. Her cousin spent five weeks in the hospital.
A police officer testified at trial that Poole smelled of marijuana, and failed multiple field sobriety tests. Poole initially claimed he hadn’t used the drug since the night before, but later said he’d smoked some that morning.
A toxicologist testified that the level of marijuana in his blood indicated recent use, and that it would have had major effects on his judgment, attention and reaction times.
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 create challenges: there’s no forensic standard for impairment with marijuana cases like with alcohol, where a blood alcohol level over .08 percent is considered illegal for driving.
Rosa Blanco’s son, Omar, testified Tuesday about the tremendous loss that he, his family, and community have suffered as a result of his mother’s death. Rosa Blanco was a math and physics teacher at schools in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, and a professor at Tidewater Community College. She also served as a leader in multiple local Filipino groups.
Poole told investigators he began using marijuana when he was 11, and smoked it four times a day. He joined a gang when he was 13, but said he later left it. He initially was allowed to remain free on bond while he awaited trial, but it was revoked after he tested positive for marijuana and alcohol.
Callie Johnson, who drove up immediately after the accident, testified Tuesday that Poole was “contrite” and “sorrowful” when she spoke to him that day.
But Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Corie Bosley argued Poole wasn’t remorseful and had not taken responsibility for his actions. Bosley asked the judge to give him the maximum sentence of 21 years.
Poole apologized to the Blanco family and said he hopes they can forgive him someday. He also said he would have never driven that day if he thought he was impaired.
Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com
