Police: Motorist admitted to smoking pot before fatal pedestrian crash
A motorist jailed after a crash that killed a pedestrian in central Las Vegas in late November told investigators that he had smoked marijuana earlier in the day, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
Juan Jose Vazquez was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on one count of DUI resulting in death, Las Vegas Justice Court logs show. On Wednesday, the 31-year-old remained in custody without bail.
The crash was reported about 12:50 a.m. Nov. 20 on Sahara Avenue, near Commercial Center Drive.
The pedestrian, Jacob Christopher Stanley, 36, died at the scene, police said.
Vazquez was eastbound in an unregistered Honda Civic, which struck Stanley on the roadway, outside of a crosswalk, police said.
A motorist who reported the crash later told police that she was driving next to Vazquez at about the same speed when the Honda accelerated and “pulled away” shortly before impact, according to an arrest report released this week.
Vazquez stopped immediately after hitting the pedestrian, police said, adding that Stanley was judged at fault because he did not yield to traffic.
Questioned by police, Vazquez admitted to smoking pot “earlier in the day,” but refused field sobriety tests, the report said.
Police drew blood samples from Vazquez after obtaining a warrant, but the results were not included in the report.
A judge had not set bail for Vazquez in the DUI case, but records show he was also being held on an unrelated case.
Vazquez’s listed attorney could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.
He is next due in court Thursday morning, records show.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickytwrites.
