Lubbock woman charged in fatal rollover that killed husband

A 35-year-old woman is being charged in the death of her husband in a single-vehicle rollover crash last year in Central Lubbock.

A Lubbock County grand jury on Tuesday returned an indictment charging Lisa Morris with manslaughter in the July 31 death of her husband, 31-year-old Dalton McCandless.

Prosecutors believe Morris recklessly drove a GMC Envoy and caused the single-vehicle wreck in the in the 2800 block of the I-27 Northbound access road.

Lubbock police officers responded about 5:10 p.m. to a crash near the intersection of I-27 and 34th Street. One responding officer saw the SUV upside down in the parking lot of a business in the 2700 block of I-27. McCandless was lying on the ground covered with a white blanket just north of the Envoy.

Lubbock police crash investigators believe Morris was driving the Envoy northbound on the I-27 access road when the vehicle veered to the right, left the roadway and flipped before stopping upside down in the parking lot of a business, according to a police news release.

McCandless died at the scene after he was ejected from a GMC Envoy after it rolled over

Morris, the driver of the SUV, suffered serious injuries and was taken by ambulance to University Medical Center, where she reportedly told a police officer that McCandless, her husband, used to live with her but was now living at a hotel. She said that night he was being a "jerk" to her and was driving him to the La Quinta Inn in the 600 block of Avenue Q, according to a Lubbock police report.

She reportedly said she planning to divorce McCandless, who she said treated her badly.

She said during the drive, McCandless got upset and yanked the steering wheel of the SUV, causing it to roll multiple times. She said when the SUV stopped rolling, she didn't see McCandless in the vehicle. She said her feet were trapped under the vehicle and she was unable to move, the report states.

However, crash investigators found inconsistencies between Morris' statement and evidence from the crash site. A crash reconstruction, which included downloading data from the SUV's airbag control module, showed the Envoy was traveling about 80 mph and the portion of the access road Morris traveled had a 40 mph speed limit, according to an arrest warrant.

The crash scene also lacked tire marks that supported Morris' account that McCandless caused the wreck by yanking on the steering wheel, the warrant states.