Published December 20 2013
On December 19, the King County Prosecutor's Office notified Bellevue Police they had issued an arrest warrant for Caleb J. Floyd for the crime of vehicular homicide.
Four officers from the Bellevue Police Department contacted Floyd at his residence in Bellevue, arrested and booked him into the King County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. The alleged crime occurred on October 4, 2013, in downtown Bellevue.
Twenty-three year old Blake Gaston was riding his motorcycle on Northeast 10th Street when Floyd turned left in front of Gaston. The two vehicles collided and Gaston died as a result of massive head trauma. Gaston had been wearing a helmet. Several witnesses saw the collision in front of a crowded restaurant.
The investigation revealed that Gaston was following traffic laws. It also revealed that Floyd showed signs and symptoms of impairment and a search warrant was obtained to collect a sample of his blood.
The lab result showed he had almost double the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the psychoactive substance in marijuana) in his blood as allowed under state law. The toxicology for Floyd showed his blood contained 9.8 nanograms of THC in his blood. The sample was taken more than three hours after the collision.
The legal limit of marijuana for driving under the influence in Washington state is 5 nanograms. Alcohol and any recreational or prescription drug that impairs one’s ability to drive a vehicle safely can be considered driving under the influence.
Bellevue Police Traffic Lieutenant Marcia Harnden said, "The victim’s family is without their loved one this holiday due to an impaired driver. While the recreational use of marijuana is legal, it is still a drug and can impair your ability to drive. It may be legal to consume it, but it is illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana."