Bellevue man with double legal limit for marijuana in blood sentenced in death of motorcyclist

Published 2:50 pm Monday, October 26, 2015

A Bellevue man who had double the legal limit for marijuana in his system when he struck and killed a motorcyclist in 2013 was sentenced to 34 months in prison on Oct. 23.

Caleb Floyd, 35, was sentenced to 34 months for vehicular homicide (a felony charge) and a year in prison for driving under the influence (a misdemeanor), along with five years probation. He will receive credit for time served of roughly 17 months on his vehicular homicide conviction.

The victim, Blake Gaston, 23, had been riding his motorcycle on Northeast 10th Street around 6 p.m. on Oct. 4, 2013 when Floyd made a left turn to northbound 102nd Avenue Northeast striking the motorcyclist with his Acura Coupe. Gaston died from massive head trauma.

A search warrant was conducted to take Floyd’s blood for a toxicology screening. The results indicate he had 9.8 nanograms of THC in his system, almost double the legal limit for driving with marijuana in your system Washington, police state. The blood draw occurred more than three hours after the collision.

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,” Bellevue Police Lt. Marcia Harnden said in the months following the crash.

The late Gaston’s mother Mary, sister Brittany Blue and girlfriend Holly White addressed the court during the sentencing on Oct. 23.

In addition to prison time, Floyd is also forbidden from entering any establishment selling marijuana and be evaluated for substance abuse.