A toxicology expert testified this week that the Dallas woman charged in a 2023 crash that killed Southern Methodist University sophomore Honor Wallace had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.294 percent hours after the collision — nearly four times the state's 0.08 percent legal limit. Lynlee Pollis is standing trial on charges of intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault in connection with Wallace's death, and the case is scheduled to continue into early next week.
Brittany Welch testified at Pollis's trial that the defendant's blood alcohol level was 0.294 percent hours after the crash, according to Dallas News. To reach that level, Pollis likely consumed six to 11 standard-sized alcoholic drinks, or three to five larger drinks or doubles, per the same testimony. A level between 0.15 percent and 0.30 percent can cause severe loss of balance, nausea, vomiting and confusion, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Defense attorney Lauren Black said Pollis's blood alcohol level was well over the legal limit, the outlet reported.
The crash happened on September 24, 2023, when Pollis was driving a Lexus SUV north on the Central Expressway feeder road and struck Wallace's Volkswagen Jetta at the intersection of Monticello Avenue and Central Expressway. Wallace was driving through a green light on Monticello Avenue when the collision sent her vehicle briefly airborne. She was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after the crash. A Dallas police arrest warrant affidavit indicates Pollis told investigators she had consumed a margarita infused with tequila shots at Mutts Canine Cantina in West Village while taking prescription ADHD medication before driving home, according to FOX 4 Dallas.
Defense Challenges How Blood Evidence Was Handled
Pollis's defense team, George Milner and Scott Palmer, has said they believe the blood evidence was tainted, questioning how it was collected, handled and stored. The defense agrees Pollis was speeding and ran a red light but denies she was drunk, the station's report notes. Multiple witnesses testified they did not smell alcohol on Pollis and that she did not appear drunk, and body camera videos showed her standing without trouble and talking without slurring her words.
Under Texas Penal Code Section 49.08, prosecutors pursuing intoxication manslaughter charges are not required to prove a driver acted recklessly — only that the driver was legally intoxicated and that the intoxication caused the fatal crash, according to the Doug Murphy Law Firm. That distinction has pushed the trial's focus heavily toward toxicology and how the blood sample was handled, rather than toward outward signs of impairment. Intoxication manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while intoxication assault carries a maximum of 10 years, meaning Pollis faces up to 30 years combined if convicted on both counts.
Victim Remembered as SMU Sophomore From Suburban Detroit
Wallace, 19, was from suburban Detroit and had just started her sophomore year at SMU when she was killed. She was pursuing dual degrees in English and Spanish and graduated in 2022 as a Merit Scholar from University Liggett School in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, according to C & G Newspapers. A friend riding with Wallace suffered a broken collarbone in the crash; student newspaper The Daily Campus identified her as fellow SMU student Cece Solberg, who was riding in the Jetta heading eastbound through the green light. Pollis suffered a fractured ankle and a welt on her forehead in the crash; her husky, Tequila, was in the vehicle and was not injured.
Bond History and a Parallel Civil Case
Pollis was booked into the Dallas County Jail on a $100,000 bond following her arrest and posted bail on September 27, 2023, according to People Newspapers. She remained free on bond through the three years leading up to this week's trial in Dallas County Criminal District Court Courtroom 1, with jury selection held in late September under Judge Jennifer Balido, per court scheduling from the Dallas County District Attorney's office.
Separately, Wallace's parents filed a civil lawsuit in Dallas County seeking $1 million in damages against both Pollis and Mutts Canine Cantina, invoking dram-shop liability tied to the establishment's alcohol service, according to Benton Accident & Injury Lawyers. That civil case is proceeding alongside the ongoing criminal trial.
The case reflects a broader pattern in Texas, which recorded 349 alcohol-related traffic fatalities in 2023, down from 551 in 2022, according to Varghese Summersett. Statewide, impaired driving was a contributing factor in more than 37 percent of all traffic fatalities between 2014 and 2023, with peak fatality hours falling between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on weekends, per Texas Department of Transportation safety data.
