A Texas woman was sentenced Wednesday to seven years in state prison for a 2023 drunken-driving crash in Dallas. The collision killed 19-year-old Southern Methodist University student Honor Wallace and seriously injured her passenger, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Lynlee Pollis, 30, was convicted of intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault following a two-and-a-half-week trial. After roughly three hours of jury deliberations, State District Judge Jennifer Balido sentenced Pollis to prison and ordered 10 years of probation to follow her release.
As part of an unusual probation structure, Pollis must spend 15 days in county jail each year. Court records show that some of these mandatory jail dates coincide with the victims’ birthdays, Pollis’s own birthday, Christmas, and the September 24 anniversary of the deadly collision.
Details of the September 2023 Crash
The fatal collision occurred in the early hours of September 24, 2023, near the intersection of Monticello Avenue and the North Central Expressway service road in Dallas. During the trial, collision reconstruction experts testified that Pollis was driving her Lexus SUV at approximately 67 mph in a 35-mph zone.
Authorities stated that Pollis ran a red light that had been active for at least five seconds before slamming into Wallace’s Volkswagen Jetta. Wallace was traveling east through a green light when her car was struck with extreme force. She was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The passenger, Catherine “CeCe” Solberg, survived the crash but suffered a shoulder injury, a concussion, a traumatic brain injury, and debilitating migraines. Pollis suffered a fractured ankle and a forehead injury, while her dog, a husky named Tequila, was uninjured.
Extreme Intoxication and Blood Alcohol Concentration
Post-crash testing revealed that Pollis had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.294%, nearly four times the Texas legal limit of 0.08%. Arresting officers and medical staff reported that Pollis had glassy eyes, slurred speech, and the odor of alcohol during hospital interviews.
Prosecutors argued against leniency during the trial. “This was no accident. This was no mistake,” prosecutor Andrew James told the jury during closing arguments. “It was the predictable consequence of the defendant’s choices.”
Defense Strategy and Victim Impact Statements
Defense attorneys Scott Palmer and George Milner acknowledged that Pollis was speeding and ran the red light, but they contested the severity of the intoxication charges. They described Pollis as a “good person who made a terrible decision” and requested probation instead of prison, citing her lack of prior felony convictions.
Following the sentencing, family members of the victims delivered emotional impact statements to the court.
“You were so drunk, and you wouldn’t admit it. You made us sit through this for three weeks,” said Bobby Solberg, father of survivor CeCe Solberg. “We’ve seen no personal accountability from you.”
David Wallace, father of Honor Wallace, also addressed the court: “You took the most precious gift from us through your selfishness. Own it. Own what you did.”
Legal Framework and Impaired Driving Statistics
In Texas, intoxication manslaughter is a second-degree felony that carries a prison sentence of two to 20 years. Intoxication assault carries a maximum penalty of 10 years. Pollis must serve at least half of her seven-year sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
The case highlights a persistent public safety crisis on Texas roads. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, drunk-driving crashes cause over a thousand fatalities annually across the state.
