Tests show the 16-year-old driver in the crash that left four teens dead last month had metabolized marijuana in her blood, but she wasn't under the influence when her car was struck by a drunken driver, Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano said Monday.

"There was some THC present, but it reflected use that took place some time ago," Solano said. "She wasn't high at the time of the crash."

The New Mexico Department of Health on Monday released the results of a drug screen on Avree Koffman's blood, which also detected a drug called Versed, which is used for general anesthesia or sedation before surgery, department spokeswoman Deborah Busemeyer said. The agency's Scientific Laboratory Division conducted the tests.

Koffman was at the wheel of a 1992 Subaru sedan that was hit by a 1992 Jeep Cherokee driven by Scott Owens, 27, of Eldorado in the early morning hours of June 28. Solano has said the Cherokee was in the wrong lane of Old Las Vegas Highway when Koffman swerved left into the oncoming lane in an effort to avoid a collision. At the same time, Owens tried to swerve back into his lane and slammed into the passenger side of her car.

Rose Simmons, 15, Julian Martinez, 16, Alyssa Trouw, 16, and Kate Klein, 16, were killed instantly. Koffman suffered serious injuries and was flown to University Hospital in Albuquerque.

Dan Koffman, Avree Koffman's father, said Monday that his daughter has been out of the hospital for 10 days and recovering at home in Santa Fe.

"She's doing well," Dan Koffman said. "Emotionally, she's very strong. She's grieving. She's hanging in there."

Still, Avree Koffman is not walking yet because of a fractured pelvis, he said. Her brain injury is healing and she is undergoing therapy, he said.

Dan Koffman said the Versed was administered by paramedics from the helicopter that flew her from the crash scene to Albuquerque. And the marijuana use wasn't recent, he said.

"She may have ingested (the marijuana) in the last 30 days (before the crash), but she was not high," he said.

Busemeyer said the drug screen found less than 5 nanograms per milliliter of THC, indicating a metabolized, inactive form of the drug found in marijuana.

"It really means it didn't cause impairment," Busemeyer said. She added that toxicologists cannot determine when Avree Koffman might have ingested the drug.

An alcohol screen on Avree Koffman, performed weeks ago, found none in her body.

Owens' blood-alcohol content, however, was measured at .16, double the legal driving limit. A drug screen was not performed on Owens' blood, Busemeyer said.

Solano said in most cases, the state Scientific Lab won't automatically test for drugs if it first finds a high alcohol content. If a sample comes back at .08 — the legal driving limit — or under, the lab will ask the investigating law-enforcement agency if it wants a drug test, he said.

Solano said experts recommend not testing for drugs after finding a high alcohol content because it could "muddy the waters." A defense lawyer could raise questions about how much of a particular substance would constitute DWI, which he said could cause problems obtaining a conviction against the person.

"The experts recommend we don't do it," Solano said.

Owens, who pleaded guilty to DWI in 2001, has been charged with four counts of vehicular homicide and one count of causing great bodily injury by vehicle. Owens' lawyer didn't return a call Monday seeking comment.

Contact Jason Auslander at 986-3076 or :jauslander@sfnewmexican.com.