2 Incline pedestrians killed; Grass Valley man arrested
Two Incline Village residents were killed in a crosswalk by a driver who officers say was under the influence of drugs.
After the 8pm Dec. 30 accident, Christopher Torii Smith, 25, of Grass Valley was booked into the Washoe County Jail on two counts of driving under the influence causing death and failure to yield to a pedestrian. Bail was set at $60,200.
Nevada Highway Patrol officers said the two pedestrians, whose names have not been released, were crossing Highway 28 just south of Village Boulevard when they were struck by the pickup driven by Smith, who was headed south.
The male pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene and the female pedestrian died en route to Renown Medical Center in Reno.
Highway 28 was closed in both directions for nearly four hours.
Trooper Mike Stapledon is the lead investigator for this incident. Witnesses or anyone with additional information is asked to contact him at (775) 689.4623.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
Granted being on drugs doesn’t help, but we sure seem to have a problem around the lake with people trying to safely cross the street.
Under the influence of drugs. Pretty vague reporting. We hear this fairly regularly, but seldom is the type of drug reported. Was it the acetaminophen, the cough syrup or the heroin? It would be a public service to report exactly what kind of drug was supposedly involved. We wish everyone a tolerant and successful New Year!