Drunk-driving cases span US: two sentenced, Massachusetts candidate quits race
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Two drivers were sentenced this week for fatal drunken crashes in Dallas and near San Ramon, California.
Separately, a Massachusetts lieutenant governor candidate quit his race after a drunk-driving arrest.
Background
The material covers several unrelated drunk-driving cases across the US in mid-October 2026. Lynlee Pollis, 30, was convicted of intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault over a 2023 Dallas crash that killed Southern Methodist University student Honor Wallace and seriously injured Catherine "CeCe" Solberg. Badal Dholaria, 28, of Pleasanton, was sentenced over a Tesla crash on Crow Canyon Road near San Ramon that killed nurse Alix Sparks, 41. In Massachusetts, Shawn Oliver — a New Bedford city councilor, corrections officer and Republican candidate for lieutenant governor — suspended his campaign after his arrest in a suspected drunk-driving crash.
How it unfolded
- Sep 2023Lynlee Pollis, speeding at 67 mph in a 35 mph zone, ran a red light in Dallas and struck the vehicle of SMU student Honor Wallace and Catherine "CeCe" Solberg; Wallace died and Solberg was seriously injured.
- Nov 29, 2025Badal Dholaria drove a Tesla at more than 150 mph on Crow Canyon Road and collided with a Ford Bronco, killing nurse Alix Sparks, 41, and injuring her husband Gregory.
- Oct 15, 2026A Contra Costa judge sentenced Dholaria to 14 years, 8 months in prison, likely about 12.5 years after credit for time served and good behavior.
- Oct 15, 2026Pollis was sentenced to seven years behind bars after a jury deliberated about three hours at the end of a two-and-a-half-week trial.
- Oct 18, 2026Shawn Oliver was arrested after a crash in which a vehicle struck multiple parked vehicles and turned over; he suspended his campaign the same day.
- Oct 18, 2026Kati Covarrubias-Barron, 19, was arrested after a wrong-way crash on I-277 in Charlotte, N.C., that killed two people and injured others.
- Oct 19, 2026Oliver appeared briefly in New Bedford District Court and was released after his first court appearance; Covarrubias-Barron was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of felony serious injury by vehicle and reckless driving.
Who’s saying what
- Party
- Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue said he asked Oliver to suspend his campaign and that "there is no excuse for driving under the influence."
- Official
- New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, a Democrat, called the allegations against Oliver "deeply concerning" and said the public deserves to hear from him.
- Caution
- Dholaria's attorney said her client "expresses his deepest remorse and sincerest condolences" to the victims' family and friends.
- Public
- Gregory Sparks, whose wife Alix died in the Crow Canyon crash, said he watched "the love of my life die in my arms" because a drunk driver "wanted to see how fast he could go."
Still unverified
Police said Covarrubias-Barron was suspected of driving drunk and was found impaired at the hospital; she allegedly told officers she had about five drinks within two hours. Oliver was arrested on suspicion of operating under the influence, negligent operation, a marked lanes violation and speeding, per police spokesperson Holly Huntoon. Luckett has been accused of causing a serious crash while drunk and allegedly crossed a double yellow line. The Baton Rouge crash that killed Leah Fonte and Shane Hirstius was described as a suspected drunk-driving accident.