DETROIT (AP) Tests performed on the remains of a marijuana cigarette do
not link it to the driver of the limousine involved in an accident that
injured three Detroit Red Wings, the Oakland County prosecutor said Thursday.

The smoked cigarette was found near the driver's seat of the limousine
after it crashed into a tree June 13 in the Detroit suburb of Birmingham.
The limousine was driven by Richard Gnida, 28, of Westland.

There were traces of saliva on the cigarette, but tests showed DNA in the
saliva did not match DNA in blood samples taken from Gnida, prosecutor
David Gorcyca said.

Gnida has not been charged. A final decision probably will be made next
month after an expert hired by the county completes an analysis of test
results to determine whether Gnida was under the influence of marijuana at
the time of the accident, Gorcyca said.

Earlier tests showed traces of marijuana in Gnida's body.

``The dilemma is marijuana can stay in your system for up to 30 days,''
Gorcyca said. ``We know it was in his system he consumed or inhaled
marijuana in some fashion. The question is, when he operated the vehicle
was he under the influence?''

If the expert can say ``yes'' with scientific reliability, Gnida likely
will be charged with driving under the influence of narcotics, a felony
punishable by up to five years in prison. If not, the most he could be
charged with is driving with a suspended license, a misdemeanor that
carries a maximum oneyear jail term, Gorcyca said.

The expert's report is expected in two or three weeks, Gorcyca said.

Police said the limousine suddenly crossed three lanes of traffic, jumped a
curb and crashed into a tree without braking. The crash occurred six days
after the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 42 years.

Red Wings defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov and team masseur Sergei
Mnatsakanov emerged from comas late last month. Both are listed in fair
condition at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.

Vyacheslav Fetisov and Gnida sustained minor injuries.

Gnida's attorney, James O'Connell, has said his client denies smoking
marijuana the night of the accident.