Crime & Public Safety
SMU student died on Central Expressway feeder road; driver charged with intoxication manslaughter
A crash on the North Central Expressway service road in Dallas died a 19-year-old Southern Methodist University student and led to criminal charges. Dallas police said the student was driving east on Monticello Avenue about 4:20 p.m. when another vehicle ran a red light and struck her Volkswagen Jetta.
Prosecutors charged 27-year-old Lynlee Pollis with intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and intoxication assault with a vehicle. A toxicology expert testified that Pollis’ blood alcohol concentration measured 0.294% hours after the crash, above Texas’ 0.08% limit.
Officials alleged Pollis was speeding and ran the red light; her defense conceded the speeding and red-light claim but disputed that she was intoxicated. A passenger in the student’s car was reported to have been seriously injured in the September 2023 crash.
The case was prosecuted in Dallas County state district court; trial testimony about the toxicology results was presented as part of those proceedings.
All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.