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UPDATE:
Police expect to file charges against driver who struck, killed LHHS student
The Dallas Police Department said Wednesday that a criminally negligent homicide charge will be filed against the driver of a vehicle who struck and killed 17-year-old Riley Rawlins on Jan. 7 as he was crossing
Family members and friends of the victim are upset that the driver was not arrested at the scene, but DPD spokesman Kevin Janse said the time was needed to interview the witnesses and determine the correct charge.
Melissa Hovey of
“I was appalled to find out that this not only happened, but that the woman had not been arrested the night that it happened,” Hovey said.
As of Wednesday, 405 people had signed the petition. View the petition at tinyurl.com/6nlvhtl.
By Ann Marie Shambaugh
ashambaugh@neighborsgo.com
Riley Rawlins was a giving person, someone who would donate a favorite pair of shoes to a classmate in need or volunteer to pick up an item left behind by a friend.
That last good deed led to the circumstances of his tragic death Jan. 7, said his mother Monica Rawlins, after retrieving a friend’s cellphone charger. Riley was struck by a vehicle traveling an estimated 70 miles per hour - double the speed - limit at the intersection of Audelia Road and Royal Lane in Lake Highlands, according to a police report.
Riley, 17, was crossing Royal Lane to rejoin his friends at a Sonic when the vehicle hit him, Monica Rawlins said. He was dragged nearly 400 feet before the driver came to a stop, according to the police report, which also stated that the driver was attempting to beat a yellow light on her way to work and did not have a driver’s license or insurance.
DPD spokesman Kevin Janse confirmed Wednesday that no arrest has been made yet because the investigation is ongoing, although police have only one suspect, an 18-year-old female. He said “there were several inconsistencies in the statements of the driver and witnesses,” and the department’s accident investigators are considering charges ranging from manslaughter to contributing to an accident that caused injury or death.
“To make sure they file the proper charge, they will consult with the district attorney’s office prior to issuing the warrant,” Janse said in a statement. “The driver’s name will not be released until they issue the warrant and she is booked into jail.”
Monica Rawlins is upset that an arrest has taken so long.
“There’s no justice for my son yet, and that’s what’s infuriating me,” she said. “This woman is walking away and Riley is gone. I’m never going to get him back.”
Monica Rawlins and her son enjoyed camping together, and she said he had plans to become a Marine after graduating from Lake Highlands High School, although she tried to talk him out of it.
“He loved his country and he loved his family,” she said. “I think that’s how in his mind he could protect us, because he was very protective of me and his sisters.”
The family found out about the accident while celebrating Riley's sister’s eighth birthday. Riley was the second student from Lake Highlands to be killed after being struck by a vehicle this school year. Andrew Green, a student at the Lake Highlands Freshman Center, died after a hit-and-run accident in October 2011.
Matthew Valadez, a teacher at LHHS, had both students in class. It’s been a tough year for students and teachers in Lake Highlands, he said, but the community has been supportive of the families and friends of the deceased students in their time of grief.
The teacher was part of the standing-room-only crowd to attend Riley’s funeral Jan. 14 at Sparkman Funeral Home in Richardson.
“He would always give me a little energy boost,” Valadez said. “He was one of those kids that gave you a reason to come to work every day.”
Happy memories and positive words about Riley are helping Monica Rawlins find hope during a time of tragedy.
“I find a lot of comfort in hearing his friends or anybody who knew him well tell me stories about how he made them smile,” she said.
__________________________________________________________Ann Marie Shambaugh is the Richardson/Lake Highlands/Far North Dallas neighborsgo editor and can be reached at ashambaugh@neighborsgo.com or 469-330-5689.
