By admin 
Rock Hill police have charged a South Carolina man, jailed after a fatal crash in which an Indian Land mother died, with felony DUI.
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Joel Laron Smith, 22, of Fort Mill, has been in the York County jail without bail on a reckless homicide charge since the Feb. 27 crash. Marybeth Robinson, 43, a wife and mother of two sons driving a minivan, died in the crash.
Now, Smith has been charged with felony DUI after he was allegedly under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash, according to police and court records.
Smith is accused of driving at speeds close to 70 miles per hour on Exit 82 of Interstate 77 before his car went airborne exiting the highway onto Celanese Road, prosecutors have said in previous court hearings.
In a statement Wednesday, Rock Hill police claimed, “investigators received the toxicology report indicating Smith was under the influence of drugs that would cause him to have the inability to safely operate his vehicle at the time of the collision.
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It remains unclear what drugs police allege are involved.
Marijuana, nitrous oxide canister allegedly found in car
In a July court hearing covered exclusively by The Herald where a York County judge denied Smith bail, prosecutors said officials were waiting for Smith’s toxicology tests to come back.
Marijuana was allegedly found in Smith’s car, along with a canister of nitrous oxide bought from a smoke shop, according to prosecutors in that July hearing. Smith also allegedly told police that in the days before the crash, he had used kratom pills, a type of drug that can be bought over the counter in stores, prosecutors said in July.
In that July court hearing, Smith’s lawyer said Smith was trying to dislodge a floor mat that became jammed between the gas and brake pedals at the time of the crash.
Smith, a convicted felon, also faces a weapon charge for an illegal gun that was in the car, according to records and prosecutors in that July hearing.
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