Police say the driver is charged with intoxication manslaughter after a jogger was struck in Preston Hollow.
DALLAS, TX — A Dallas County magistrate set bond at $75,000 on Wednesday for Jaylon Dews, 30, who police say was driving drunk on New Year’s Day when he hit and killed jogger David Allen along Stone Canyon Road in the Preston Hollow area.
Authorities said Dews is charged with intoxication manslaughter, a second-degree felony, as detectives continue reviewing video, witness accounts and testing records. The case drew quick attention because it happened late on Jan. 1 in a residential area where neighbors reported hearing speeding. Court and police records also show Dews had a pending misdemeanor DWI case from February 2025 in Collin County, with a hearing scheduled this Thursday. He remained in the Dallas County jail following the bond decision.
Police said the collision happened around 11:30 p.m. near Stone Canyon Road and Riverbrook Drive. Allen, who had gone out for a run from his nearby home, did not return at his usual time, relatives told reporters. According to an arrest affidavit, Dews was driving a 2017 Chevrolet Camaro when he sideswiped a truck and then struck Allen on the roadside. He called 911 after the impact and identified himself to officers when they arrived. “The neighborhood is hurting. These people are traumatized by what they saw,” Allen’s wife, Mardi Hunter, said, adding that her husband was a familiar figure on those streets.
At the scene, officers administered field sobriety tests that Dews failed, according to police accounts summarized in court documents. The affidavit notes that Dews told officers he was headed to a nearby gas station to buy beer; he also made statements about planning to meet a musical artist later that night. Investigators said neighbors reported hearing a vehicle “speeding” shortly before the crash. Allen had no identification on him during his run, which delayed notification to his family until witnesses helped connect the missing-person report to the crash. He was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries. Toxicology findings and the precise speed of the vehicle at impact were not immediately released.
The crash unfolded in Preston Hollow, a North Dallas neighborhood where narrow residential streets meet busy thoroughfares. Police said the Camaro first sideswiped a truck, indicating possible loss of control before the pedestrian strike, and stopped a short distance away. The arrest affidavit says Dews acknowledged hitting a person when he called 911. Detectives canvassed homes for camera footage, and officers documented road conditions and lighting at the corner near the 10500 block of Stone Canyon Road. As of Wednesday, officials had not detailed the number of witnesses interviewed, whether skid marks were measured, or whether any onboard vehicle data had been retrieved.
Court records show Dews also faces the earlier DWI case in Collin County from Feb. 2025, with a hearing set for Thursday, Jan. 8. In the Dallas case, prosecutors will review the file for formal indictment on the intoxication manslaughter charge. Typical next steps include receiving lab reports, reconstructing the crash sequence and presenting evidence to a grand jury. Police said the investigation remains open and additional charges were possible depending on final findings. Jail records Wednesday listed Dews on a $75,000 bond in Dallas County; any conditions of release, such as an ignition interlock or travel limits, had not been publicly filed.
Neighbors who gathered at the corner in recent days left flowers and paced the sidewalk where Allen was struck. “His loss is reverberating throughout an entire community of people,” Hunter said. Residents described Allen as a steady presence on evening runs. A nearby homeowner said she stepped outside after hearing a loud scrape and then saw flashing lights as first responders arrived. Another neighbor said the block was dim and quiet at that hour, with few cars on the road. Police did not release the make and color of the truck that was sideswiped, and they did not say whether its driver was injured.
As of Wednesday night, Dews remained in jail awaiting processing on the Dallas case while the separate Collin County matter was set for a Thursday hearing. Police said further updates would follow after lab results and additional interviews. A medical examiner’s report had not yet been posted. The next expected development is any bond condition filing or a first-setting date in a Dallas County trial court.
Author note: Last updated January 7, 2026.