Man who ran over and killed woman near downtown with marijuana sentenced to 7 years in prison

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A man convicted of killing one woman and injuring another while driving under the influence of marijuana near Town Center in 2022 will spend seven years in prison.

On Tuesday, Nathan Poole, a 26-year-old from Chesapeake, was sentenced to four years in prison for involuntary manslaughter, two years for intoxicated mutilation and one year for driving under the influence.

Watch previous coverage: Chesapeake man guilty of marijuana-impaired driving near downtown that left woman dead

Chesapeake man guilty of marijuana-impaired driving near downtown that left woman dead

On Aug. 22, 2022, Poole got behind the wheel after consuming marijuana, prosecutors said. As Poole drove through the Town Center neighborhood, he struck two women: Rosa Blanco and her cousin Concepcion Blanco.

The cousins ​​were leaving a restaurant after celebrating Rosa's birthday, prosecutors said. They said the women were crossing the street when Poole hit them.

Rosa died at the scene, and although Concepcion survived, she was hospitalized for five weeks and suffered serious and permanent injuries, prosecutors said.

Related Surveillance Report: Man charged with drunken driving following fatal crash on Shore Drive

Man charged with drunk driving after fatal crash on Shore Drive

Surveillance video shows Poole's vehicle driving into the women without braking, prosecutors noted.

Police said they conducted field sobriety tests, which indicated Poole was impaired, and noted that he smelled of burnt marijuana. He admitted to using marijuana the morning of the crash, and a toxicology report showed that the level of THC in Poole's blood indicated “recent use,” according to police.