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The alleged driver of a pickup truck involved in a July head-on collision in Waiahole has been charged with two counts of negligent homicide.
An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday charging 22-year-old Joshua Thompson with two counts of first-degree negligent homicide. The charges accuse him of causing two deaths on July 1, 2016, by operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He is also charged with possessing marijuana.
A state judge issued a $100,000 bench warrant Wednesday for Thompson’s arrest.
The prosecutor’s office says Thompson was the driver and only occupant of a pickup truck that was traveling north on Kamehameha Highway between Waiahole Homestead Road and Waiahole Valley Road when the truck crossed the double-solid yellow line into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a two-seat sports car.
The front-seat passenger of the sports car, Sefilina Gray, 33, of Laie, died at the scene. The driver, Mark Matsushima, 55, of Honolulu, suffered critical injuries and died on the way to The Queen’s Medical Center.
Police said speed and
alcohol appeared to have been factors in the crash.
The prosecutor said Thompson’s eyes were red and glassy, he was unsteady on his feet and emitted a strong odor of alcohol at the scene. The prosecutor also said police found a broken bottle of Crown Royal whiskey, a glass pipe and a bag containing marijuana next to where the driver’s side window of Thompson’s truck had landed on the roadway.
