SUNSET — A Weber County man was charged Tuesday with causing a crash that killed his passenger.
Gavin Paul Nicholson, 18, of West Haven, is charged in 2nd District Court with causing a death while driving with a measurable controlled substance, a second-degree felony; drug possession, a class A misdemeanor; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor.
On July 5, Sunset police responded to a crash that left Nicholson, the driver, unconscious and severely injured his passenger, according to charging documents. The passenger was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.
The men were driving on I-15 near Sunset when witnesses told investigators that Nicholson “swerved out of his lane in a reckless manner, causing the car to hit the cement barrier,” the charges state.
Utah Highway Patrol troopers said the car then bounced off the barrier and went back into traffic where it was hit by a truck hauling a fifth-wheel trailer, broadsiding Nicholson’s vehicle on the passenger side.
Cocaine and drug paraphernalia were found inside Nicholson’s car, according to police. Because of that, officers obtained a warrant to draw his blood to have it tested.
“The defendant’s blood contained methamphetamine, THC, as well as ketamine,” the charges state,
Nicholson was convicted in two theft cases and a failure to stop for police case on March 3, according to court records. He is currently being held without bail in the Weber County Jail and scheduled to be sentenced on April 14 on all three cases, court records indicate.