Topline: More than a year after Michelle Alessi died in a St. Augustine crash, the accused pickup driver faces three charges in a case involving speeds exceeding twice the posted limit.
Published: October 7, 2026 4:04 pm ET
Shawn Fletcher
Committed to the craft of journalism and am driven by my desire to inform and inspire.
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ST. AUGUSTINE, FL — A St. Augustine woman has been arrested on DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide charges in the August 2025 crash that killed 52-year-old Michelle Alessi.
Lindsey Rollins, 38, was arrested September 29, 2026, following a Florida Highway Patrol investigation lasting more than a year. According to News4JAX’s account of the arrest affidavit, investigators say her pickup accelerated to 86 mph on a road with a 40 mph speed limit shortly before the collision. She also faces a misdemeanor charge of DUI with damage.
The Fatal Collision
The crash happened in the early morning of August 10, 2025, at Old Moultrie Road and Lewis Point Road. Troopers arrived shortly after midnight.
According to the affidavit, Rollins was driving a black 2017 GMC Sierra 2500 north on Old Moultrie Road when the pickup struck Alessi’s silver Honda SUV as Alessi turned left from Lewis Point Road onto Old Moultrie Road. Alessi died at the scene.
Investigators said the pickup’s electronic data recorder registered 83 mph five seconds before impact and 86 mph approximately 2.5 seconds before the crash.
Impairment and Driver-Identification Evidence
A St. Johns County sheriff’s deputy reported smelling alcohol coming from Rollins at the scene. She was taken to HCA Florida Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, where troopers described her speech as thick-tongued, her eyes as glazed and watery, and an odor of alcohol. Investigators obtained a blood sample under a search warrant. News4JAX’s report does not provide a blood-alcohol result.
Investigators also gathered witness accounts, body-camera footage and DNA evidence to establish who was driving. One witness described Rollins slowly getting out of the driver’s seat after the crash. Another reported seeing a woman fall onto her back from the pickup’s driver-side door.
Sheriff’s office body-camera footage showed Rollins on the ground beside the driver’s side, barefoot and wearing a black tank top and leggings. She told officers she had been alone in the vehicle.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement testing linked Rollins to DNA recovered from the steering wheel, airbags, seatbelt and gear shift, according to the report. The agency’s analysis found the mixed DNA profile was more than 700 billion times more likely to have come from Rollins and one unrelated person than from two unrelated people.
Three Charges and $210,000 Bond
A St. Johns County judge signed an arrest warrant four days before Rollins was arrested at 2 p.m. September 29 and booked into the county jail.
DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide are each charged as second-degree felonies, with bond set at $100,000 on each count. DUI with damage is charged as a first-degree misdemeanor with a $10,000 bond, bringing the total to $210,000.
The October 5 report does not identify a next court date or state whether Rollins posted bond.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Lindsey Rollins Charged With DUI Manslaughter in Crash That Killed Michelle Alessi
More than a year after Michelle Alessi died in a St. Augustine crash, the accused pickup driver faces three charges in a case involving speeds exceeding twice the posted limit.
By Shawn Fletcher
Published: October 7, 2026 4:04 pm ET
ST. AUGUSTINE, FL — A St. Augustine woman has been arrested on DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide charges in the August 2025 crash that killed 52-year-old Michelle Alessi.
Lindsey Rollins, 38, was arrested September 29, 2026, following a Florida Highway Patrol investigation lasting more than a year. According to News4JAX’s account of the arrest affidavit, investigators say her pickup accelerated to 86 mph on a road with a 40 mph speed limit shortly before the collision. She also faces a misdemeanor charge of DUI with damage.
The Fatal Collision
The crash happened in the early morning of August 10, 2025, at Old Moultrie Road and Lewis Point Road. Troopers arrived shortly after midnight.
According to the affidavit, Rollins was driving a black 2017 GMC Sierra 2500 north on Old Moultrie Road when the pickup struck Alessi’s silver Honda SUV as Alessi turned left from Lewis Point Road onto Old Moultrie Road. Alessi died at the scene.
Investigators said the pickup’s electronic data recorder registered 83 mph five seconds before impact and 86 mph approximately 2.5 seconds before the crash.
Impairment and Driver-Identification Evidence
A St. Johns County sheriff’s deputy reported smelling alcohol coming from Rollins at the scene. She was taken to HCA Florida Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, where troopers described her speech as thick-tongued, her eyes as glazed and watery, and an odor of alcohol. Investigators obtained a blood sample under a search warrant. News4JAX’s report does not provide a blood-alcohol result.
Investigators also gathered witness accounts, body-camera footage and DNA evidence to establish who was driving. One witness described Rollins slowly getting out of the driver’s seat after the crash. Another reported seeing a woman fall onto her back from the pickup’s driver-side door.
Sheriff’s office body-camera footage showed Rollins on the ground beside the driver’s side, barefoot and wearing a black tank top and leggings. She told officers she had been alone in the vehicle.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement testing linked Rollins to DNA recovered from the steering wheel, airbags, seatbelt and gear shift, according to the report. The agency’s analysis found the mixed DNA profile was more than 700 billion times more likely to have come from Rollins and one unrelated person than from two unrelated people.
Three Charges and $210,000 Bond
A St. Johns County judge signed an arrest warrant four days before Rollins was arrested at 2 p.m. September 29 and booked into the county jail.
DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide are each charged as second-degree felonies, with bond set at $100,000 on each count. DUI with damage is charged as a first-degree misdemeanor with a $10,000 bond, bringing the total to $210,000.
The October 5 report does not identify a next court date or state whether Rollins posted bond.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Lindsey Rollins Charged With DUI Manslaughter in Crash That Killed Michelle Alessi
More than a year after Michelle Alessi died in a St. Augustine crash, the accused pickup driver faces three charges in a case involving speeds exceeding twice the posted limit.
By Shawn Fletcher
Published: October 7, 2026 4:04 pm ET
ST. AUGUSTINE, FL — A St. Augustine woman has been arrested on DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide charges in the August 2025 crash that killed 52-year-old Michelle Alessi.
Lindsey Rollins, 38, was arrested September 29, 2026, following a Florida Highway Patrol investigation lasting more than a year. According to News4JAX’s account of the arrest affidavit, investigators say her pickup accelerated to 86 mph on a road with a 40 mph speed limit shortly before the collision. She also faces a misdemeanor charge of DUI with damage.
The Fatal Collision
The crash happened in the early morning of August 10, 2025, at Old Moultrie Road and Lewis Point Road. Troopers arrived shortly after midnight.
According to the affidavit, Rollins was driving a black 2017 GMC Sierra 2500 north on Old Moultrie Road when the pickup struck Alessi’s silver Honda SUV as Alessi turned left from Lewis Point Road onto Old Moultrie Road. Alessi died at the scene.
Investigators said the pickup’s electronic data recorder registered 83 mph five seconds before impact and 86 mph approximately 2.5 seconds before the crash.
Impairment and Driver-Identification Evidence
A St. Johns County sheriff’s deputy reported smelling alcohol coming from Rollins at the scene. She was taken to HCA Florida Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, where troopers described her speech as thick-tongued, her eyes as glazed and watery, and an odor of alcohol. Investigators obtained a blood sample under a search warrant. News4JAX’s report does not provide a blood-alcohol result.
Investigators also gathered witness accounts, body-camera footage and DNA evidence to establish who was driving. One witness described Rollins slowly getting out of the driver’s seat after the crash. Another reported seeing a woman fall onto her back from the pickup’s driver-side door.
Sheriff’s office body-camera footage showed Rollins on the ground beside the driver’s side, barefoot and wearing a black tank top and leggings. She told officers she had been alone in the vehicle.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement testing linked Rollins to DNA recovered from the steering wheel, airbags, seatbelt and gear shift, according to the report. The agency’s analysis found the mixed DNA profile was more than 700 billion times more likely to have come from Rollins and one unrelated person than from two unrelated people.
Three Charges and $210,000 Bond
A St. Johns County judge signed an arrest warrant four days before Rollins was arrested at 2 p.m. September 29 and booked into the county jail.
DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide are each charged as second-degree felonies, with bond set at $100,000 on each count. DUI with damage is charged as a first-degree misdemeanor with a $10,000 bond, bringing the total to $210,000.
The October 5 report does not identify a next court date or state whether Rollins posted bond.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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