Grand jury to review driver’s drug use

Friday, April 21, 2000 | 9:57 a.m.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Gary Booker told District Judge Mark Gibbons that a second set of tests performed on Jessica Williams' blood showed the woman had used the drug ecstasy in addition to marijuana in the hours before the March 19 crash.

Ecstasy is a stimulant that also has hallucinogenic qualities, Booker told the judge.

At the time the grand jury met in the Williams case, authorities had no reason to look for any other drugs besides marijuana, but information came out during the hearing that perhaps she had used ecstasy, Booker said. New tests were performed that confirmed the presence of the drug.

A new grand jury hearing needs to be held to see if a superseding indictment should be returned or if information should be added to the existing indictment, Booker said.

The new hearing has tentatively been scheduled for May 9.

Williams was supposed to be arraigned Thursday, but it was postponed until April 27 because a transcript of the grand jury hearing was not finished.

Williams is accused of driving a minivan into the median of Interstate 15, striking six teens picking up trash as part of their probation.