Jury trial scheduled in July 2020 fatal accident

Brad Kellar, The Herald Banner, Greenville, Texas
·2 min read

Apr. 8—A trial date has been set in September for a Royse City woman, charge with intoxication manslaughter involving an accident which resulted in the death of a state appeals court judge from Rockwall.

Megan E. Smith has pleaded not guilty in connection with the crash in July 2020.

Smith, 33, was believed to have been intoxicated when she drove the wrong way and caused the three-vehicle crash on Interstate 30 in Royse City, which resulted in the death of Fifth District Court of Appeals Justice David Bridges of Rockwall.

During a hearing Tuesday in the 354th District Court, Judge Keli Aiken scheduled a pre-trial hearing for September 23, with jury selection set on September 29.

Smith remained in custody in the Hunt County Detention Center Tuesday, being held in lieu $150,000 bond on the intoxication manslaughter charge, a second-degree felony, punishable upon conviction by a maximum sentence of two to 20 years in prison and an optional fine of up to $10,000.

Smith was also being held in the jail on two additional charges filed by the Royse City Police Department; one count of possession of a controlled substance Penalty Group 1A, in an amount of less than 20 actual units, with a $10,000 bond, and one count of possession of marijuana less than two ounces, which carried a $750 bond. Penalty Group 1-A includes LSD as well as any of its salts, isomers and salts of isomers.

A statement from the Royse City Police Department indicated the wreck occurred at around 9:30 p.m. July 25 on westbound Interstate 30 near FM 2642. Smith was reported to be driving the wrong way in the westbound lanes of the interstate and struck two vehicles, one of which was driven by Bridges. Bridges' vehicle caught fire and he was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver of the second vehicle was uninjured. Smith was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.

Bridges was elected to Place 6 on the appeals court in 1996 and had filed to run for reelection to the post.

Rockwall attorney John G. Browning was chosen August 15 in a vote by the Republican Party county chairs and precinct chairs of the six counties in the Fifth Court of Appeals' jurisdiction to replace Bridges as the Republican nominee for the spot on the court and won the position outright in the Nov. 3, 2020 election.