The driver of a van that struck and a killed a skateboarder on Crawfordsville’s west side last fall had THC in his system, investigators said.
Gregory A. Knowling, 52, Crawfordsville, was driving westbound on Waynetown Road near Wayne Avenue before daybreak Sept. 24 when the vehicle struck a skateboard operated by Christopher Wood, 18, Cayuga. Wood died later at an Indianapolis hospital.
Knowling showed signs of drug intoxication at the scene but told police he had not been using drugs or alcohol, according to a probable cause affidavit signed by Crawfordsville Police Det. Bob Rivers.
The toxicology report showed Knowling still had a high concentration of THC in his blood more than two hours after the crash, Rivers said. THC is the high-inducing compound in marijuana.
Knowling was arrested Thursday on a felony warrant for reckless homicide, causing death while operating a motor vehicle with a schedule I or II controlled substance, and causing death while operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. He was released on a $3,000 cash bond.
During the investigation, Knowling told police he was “coming down the hill or was where the road started leveling out when he struck something,” which he later learned was the skateboarder, Rivers said. Knowling added it was “early morning, very dark, and he saw nothing until after the impact.”
Knowling was driving 58 m.p.h. in a 40 m.p.h. zone at the time of the crash, investigators determined.
A court appearance had not been set as of Monday morning.
