WSP: man admits to pot use, gets arrested for DUI after crash
LYNNWOOD, Wash. -- A 20-year-old Edmonds man who police say was high on marijuana was arrested for vehicular assault and DUI after a Friday afternoon car crash near Lynnwood.
Toby Toro was driving southbound on I-5 near 44th Avenue West when his 1997 Honda Prelude crashed into a motorcycle, according to Washington State Patrol Trooper Mark Francis. Francis said Toro was trying to switch lanes behind the motorcyclist when he clipped the bike.
The 29-year-old Seattle man was tossed from his bike. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center to be treated for several broken bones and what Francis described as "serious" internal bleeding.
When they arrived on scene, troopers say Toro looked impaired. Troopers say he admitted to being high on marijuana and was arrested for suspicion of DUI and vehicular assault.
A woman claiming to be Toro's mother refutes the claim that her son admitted to using marijuana. Kerry Honchen said Toro was asked if he had ingested marijuana and told troopers he had not.
The crash created an 8-mile backup on southbound I-5 that didn't clear up until nearly 7 p.m.
Toby Toro was driving southbound on I-5 near 44th Avenue West when his 1997 Honda Prelude crashed into a motorcycle, according to Washington State Patrol Trooper Mark Francis. Francis said Toro was trying to switch lanes behind the motorcyclist when he clipped the bike.
The 29-year-old Seattle man was tossed from his bike. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center to be treated for several broken bones and what Francis described as "serious" internal bleeding.
When they arrived on scene, troopers say Toro looked impaired. Troopers say he admitted to being high on marijuana and was arrested for suspicion of DUI and vehicular assault.
A woman claiming to be Toro's mother refutes the claim that her son admitted to using marijuana. Kerry Honchen said Toro was asked if he had ingested marijuana and told troopers he had not.
The crash created an 8-mile backup on southbound I-5 that didn't clear up until nearly 7 p.m.
being a motorcyclist myself, I don't think drivers realize how much the smell of weed trails behind them from their cars which is also my red flag to avoid them by passing them and creating as much distance between me & them as possible. That being said: people really should use the same caution with ganja that they use with alcohol by not getting behind the wheel when under the influence. As for the kid, he just became the poster child for the anti-pot groups.
Cannibus should only be used for medical reasons. I know everyone smokes but really folks do we really need another substance that will be abused?Â
And no one saw this coming??????????? Pot heads are all excited about 502 but the only story is a small lobby who want to make a lot of money. Others, like the motorcyclist, will be paying the bill for all this.Â
To those of you that are familiar with Port Orchard > I'm driving down the hill from the bowling ally toward down town, a red mustang was going 3 to 5 miles pr hour and riding the brakes all the way. I pulled up next to him at the intersection at the bottom of the hill so I could see into his car. Sure enough, he was a tokin. Couple days later I see the same mustang pulling into one of the pot stores on Mile Hill.  Be aware / they're out there and they drive.
there has neither been an increase nor a decrease in "pot" related DUI's since the law changed and the police are not trying to pin it on marijuana. The NEWS is trying to pin it on the weed. court records will show in both Snohomish and King county a steady number of DUI's... Follow the news you mindless sheep and believe everything you read and hear.
Looking through his facebook pictures, he has one where he's holding a sign that says "drunk...high...horny..." I think mom is living in fantasy land.
@iliketurtlez Nice research. We have a position available at Wasteyourtime Enterprises if you are interested.
All idiot drivers who cause accidents are a menace.  Now, anytime there's an accident, the police will be able to pin the cause on marijuana dui if possible, even if events were beyond the "perpetrators" control.
I have come to believe that field sobriety tests are more reliable than blood tests. There are so many ways people can get high or "off" and absolute chemical values may not measure accurately how impaired a person is. Pot is a new addition - legally speaking - but medications have always had an impairing affect that was not regulated on the books.
 @Komo Dragon But I don't trust cops to give fair field sobriety tests... They are jerks.
 @Stock Woodie You could video tape these sobriety tests to make it a little more objective.
Wait, what? I thought you could drive perfectly well, even better, high on pot. Isn't that what all the hippie, potheads told us?!? Hmm....and so it begins. Â
 @Bianca "Hmm....and so it begins."? Where've you been? Under a rock?
 @Bianca Yes... because "complete sober" people never get into accidents. Please.
 @Bianca It doesn't "begin" folks have been driving high for ages.Â
 @Bianca I'd much rather someone be high than drunk.
Amazing how many are quick to defend the one accused of being stoned yet if he was accused of being drunk you all would throw the book at him.
@rwgav8 Haven't you heard? Marijuana can do no harm, and you should never write a slanted story like this in Seattle!! Off with the editors heads for even suggesting that driving under the influence of cannibas could possibly be irresponsible behavior!
Sorry....I guess I was sick that day in High School....lol
What does a impaired look; look like. Are the police sure that it was not a oh fudge I hit someone look? I think they were going to pin point this on something and when the guy open his month and said yep I smoke some weed, that was it. Do we know how long ago he smoke? Was he still high like the story says? The story reads that he admitted to being high, but it does not mention when he smoke it or if he still was high. I just can't picture anyone dumb enough saying "oh sorry officer, I am freaking stoned and did not mean to hit the guy". Â
 @Just my say The visible effects of cannabis usage can often be QUITE noticeable (especially the squinted, bloodshot eyes and enlarged pupils). He probably admitted to smoking because cooperating with the police fully actually looks better for you in court than if you clam up and refuse to talk to them and they have to take you in and get a warrant for a blood test. Or it could be that he felt stupid and awful for hurting the guy like that.
Of course it''s the weed.................. The alcohol had nothing to do with it. Â Give me a break. Â
 @Seahawker What alcohol?
...and so it begins.
I agree, so it begins. The beginning of a barrage of slanted news and government hype. The beginning of the end of a state to stand in sovereignty with their fellow and neighbor and citizen. The end of a time when we could believe in our government.
Â
This guy admitted he was smoking, how money drunks can even say it, let alone to admitting it on the arrest site.? I'd bet a dollar to a dime that this accident would have happened regardless of the initiative.
Â
I would rather have a stoner following me in traffic a LOT more than a drunk one. I used to be a cop in Iowa and I'm telling you right now, I'd rather arrest a stoner than a combative drunk any day.
Â
Propaganda will surround this initiative until the sheep are in the stalls and ready for shearing, and slaughter..
Â
 @komoispropaganda "standing sovereignty"  Give us all a break with the paranoid ramblings about tyranny and the evil government.  Amazing how you guys believed in the govt when the republicans were in power, and borrowing a trillion or so from China, to pay for the war in Iraq and tax cuts for billionaires.  Funny how that works.. with all of the freedoms taken away under Bush, the spying on our citizens in America, and suddenly you're all constitutionalists? What a hoot.Â
 @DT You've never seen, nor have I ever argued party politics, only what the politician stands for. My beliefs and thoughts are my own. So "you guys" can leave me out of any favorite political party. No, """get this""", NO politician gets my support.
Â
As far as bush Jr goes, my only positive comment I have for him is that most liberal/progressive types blame him for what the entire congress is responsible for past and present. I think it's sad that progressives would not question the glorious leaders actions and take him at his word. The fish stinks from the head down.
Â
So you get off your progressive high horse and under stand this. The leadership in this country, regardless of party are all guilty of repeating their party rhetoric and don't give a damn about you or me. The division between 'classes' has been dug deep by both sides. Money is the what happens in the dog and pony show that you are apparently ready to support under your "party".
Â
The government and it's leadership are headed for a financial downfall that will make the so-called housing bubble look like a guppy fart.
Â
Don't put a label on me DT, and try to argue current leadership for current issues.
Â
Â
 @my2cents What is "it?" If you mean people driving while intoxicated since the new law regarding cannabis was passed, people have been driving while intoxicated for a VERY long time, using various substances and various methods of transportation. This is hardly the first person to have been caught driving while high, and he won't be the last. What IS happening lately is that KOMO and other news websites are focusing more on drivers caught driving while high since the new law went into effect regarding cannabis use by adults over 21 (which doesn't include this guy anyway, he's 20). Only a tiny fraction of all the DUI arrests (involving ANY substances) are generally reported in the news. Dozens of such charges (or more) happen each day and yet days or even weeks will go by without a headline involving a DUI, because it's really not news for the most part. Driving while intoxicated is a stupid, reckless, and dangerous decision made by a stupid, reckless, inconsiderate person, and it is illegal regardless of the legality of the substance the person has taken.
 @spacegoddess  @my2cents What *is* driving while intoxicated after smoking marijuana, anyway?  A marijuana high can be gone after 20 minutes.  How does a citizen test their blood to determine if they are legal to drive?  After all, it's legal to smoke.  Why don't citizens know how to safely smoke & drive?  And how do I imagine this particular scenario?  A stupid punk 20 year old who looked like a stupid punk 20 year old and was therefore on the police's radar from the beginning.  Blazed and stupid acting.  ADMITS (wow, stupid) to the cops he smoke marijuana.  Instant arrest.  I understand why this guy was arrested - he opened his trap.  My question is - how do responsible marijuana users actually KNOW what is and is not legal while driving?  They don't.  A person may be completely sober, but they are still going to have THC in their system.  If the law doesn't make sense, the law is no good.  And this guy probably just sucked a driving, high or not, by the way.
 @RedRiverBand   You may "think" you understand it, but even doctors don't fully understand it, or how to test it accurately.
Â
A simple test, but there are plenty other studies out there.
http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2011/04/thc_blood_test_pot_critic_william_breathes_3_times_over_limit_sober.php
 @RedRiverBand  @my2cents  @spacegoddess "Most of your argument is irrelevant by the fact that this person was 20 years old"
Nope - it's just another part of the charges he will face. Underage does not negate the DUI...
 @my2cents I'll take smug over ignorance any day.
 @RedRiverBand A lot of people are ignorant on the subject.  And while that's very impressive that you read a thing or two, before you critique a person for sharing their opinion, you should consider doing so tactfully, otherwise you sound quite smug.
 @my2cents  @spacegoddess Most of your argument is irrelevant by the fact that this person was 20 years old, therefore it is illegal for him to smoke marijuana or drink. So even before he got in the car he was doing something that was illegal. Kids having been smoking pot for years, we did it too in high school, and passing this law didn't change that.
Â
That being said, you need to read more into the law that was passed. THC has something called "active THC", which can be measured similar to alcohol and diminishes in several hours after smoking, not unlike drinking. Therefore, if a person plans on smoking, he should plan on not driving, just like a person who goes to a bar and assigns a designated driver. 5 nanograms of "active THC" is similar, maybe even a little less than the .08 legal limit for driving.Â
Â
Before you critique something, you should take the time to understand it, otherwise you sound quite unintelligent.Â