A Peoria man accused of killing a bicyclist in 2008 could barely stand up because he was so impaired by prescription drugs on the night of the collision, police say.
Aaron Chubick, 32, faces charges of hit-and-run and manslaughter in the early-morning wreck that killed 65-year-old Richard Markarian.
A police report obtained by New Times states that Chubick admitted to taking aids to treat his sleep apnea before deciding to drive to the store for cigarettes just after 3 a.m. on October 26.
Cruising on Beardsley at about 91st Avenue, Chubick hit a curb, then careened into Markarian, who was out for his typical morning bike ride with full reflectors and front-and-rear lights.
A test of a blood sample taken after the collision showed Chubick had a dose of Soma in his system that was five or six times greater than "therapeutic" levels.
Chubick told police he took three Soma at about midnight, the report states. He had also taken Lunesta and Ambien.
When police interviewed him about 30 minutes after the collision, the report says, Chubick's speech was slurred and he had trouble standing. He told cops he didn't feel sober enough to drive safely, and that "if he didn't have 'this stuff' in his system, 'this would have never happened."
Police found no evidence that Chubick had been drinking.
It could be argued that this kind of impairment is more, shall we say, accidental than that of someone who's been out drinking at a bar before getting behind the wheel.
But one aspect of this incident seems deliberate: Chubick didn't stop to help Markarian, even though he saw the bicyclist "lying in the roadway and moving as he left the scene," the report says.
After driving home, hitting another curb on the way, Chubick told his wife he had fled because he "was scared and did not know what to do."
Chubick remains free on a $50,000 bond following his not-guilty plea last week. His next court date is scheduled for May 20.
