An Ocala man who struck and killed a man pushing a bicycle on U.S. Hwy. 441 in February was charged with driving while under the influence of drugs after toxicology results revealed the presence of marijuana in his system at the time of the crash.
Angel Luis Rivas, 29, turned himself in to a Florida Highway Patrol trooper on Thursday at the Marion County Jail. He had provided a voluntary blood sample at the crash scene that was sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for testing. The FHP got the results back on March 13, according to the arrest report.
Shortly before 11 p.m. on Feb. 9, Robert J. Weems, 59, of Ocala was pushing his bicycle south on U.S. Hwy. 441 on the inside portion of the inside southbound lane, and to the right of his bicycle, when he was struck from behind by a 2009 Mazda driven by Rivas. Weems was pronounced dead at the scene.
The trooper on the scene noted the following indicators of possible impairment for Rivas: Glossy/bloodshot eyes, disorientation, odor of marijuana on his person and in his vehicle, green and brown coating on his tongue, and raised taste buds, according to the report.
Rivas told the trooper he usually “hotboxes” inside his vehicle to keep it away from his house. He said he had smoked while on break from work, but “it was a while ago.” Hotboxing is the practice of smoking marijuana in a small enclosed space in order to maximize the narcotic effect.
The toxicology report showed Rivas had 208 total nanograms per milliliter of three different types of THC in his bloodstream, which was consistent with the signs of impairment he exhibited at the scene.
Rivas was released from jail on $1,000 bond on Friday.