He also reportedly had marijuana and a prescription medication in his system. It was not clear if the medication was prescribed to Atkinson.
The medication was a benzodiazepine used to treat anxiety and can cause drowsiness and lightheadedness, Cairns said.
“Now you mix this medication with the amount of alcohol that was in his blood and it is an absolutely dangerous situation and we saw that this night unfortunately,” he added.
Atkinson is accused of hitting three girls and a woman with a Hummer H3 while turning onto Wayne Avenue from Clover Street on July 22. A 9-year-old girl on a bicycle got caught on the SUV and was dragged for approximately half a mile.
The girl was seriously injured and had part of her leg amputated. She was still hospitalized as of Wednesday, Cairns said.
“This case is still very close to the heart for all of our investigators,” he added. “This is something that could have been avoided by just getting a ride home, asking for an Uber, having someone take you home. But no, that person got behind the wheel at four times the legal limit and now a girl’s life, her family and the community are changed forever.”
Atkinson was indicted on endangering children, aggravated vehicular assault, vehicular assault, failure to stop after an accident and OVI charges in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court on Aug. 1.
Atkinson’s defense attorney, Amanda Davis, declined to comment on the case.
Atkinson’s BAC was 0.306 when it was taken hours after the crash, said Cairns. Investigators are able to determine his BAC at the time of the crash by applying a mathematical formula using the time Atkinson left the bar and the time police took his blood sample.
He noted that while the BAC limit is 0.08 in Ohio, people can show signs of impairment while below the legal limit.
“You’ve heard the saying buzzed driving is drunk driving,” Cairns said. “You don’t have to be above 0.08 to be at a state where you should not be driving a vehicle or in control of a vehicle.”
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