An Anchorage man was arrested last week on charges of manslaughter and driving under the influence of marijuana in a criminal case related to aLester Wilde Jr., 47, had been driving over 100 mph on the Seward Highway after vaping marijuana when he struck a motor home Aug. 8 in the Turnagain Pass area, according to charges filed in the case. The crash left 46-year-old Jeffrey Andrews dead and three people injured.
Last August, Wilde told investigators he drove from Anchorage to go fishing in Kenai with Andrews and another man, but they decided to return that same night because “it was too busy,” according to a summary of police reports written by Assistant District Attorney David Buettner and included with charging documents.
Troopers found that the car split in two during the collision, the charges said. A backseat passenger climbed out of the window, and Andrews died in the front seat, the charges said.Wilde and the surviving passenger were injured and treated at a hospital, the charges said. The driver of the motor home was also brought to the hospital with injuries and a juvenile was later taken to a clinic for minor injuries, the charges said.