19 Oct Tahoka Woman Dies in Lubbock County Crash; Driver Charged With Intoxication Manslaughter

A Sunday evening crash in Lubbock County killed a 47-year-old Tahoka woman, and a Lubbock man has been charged with intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Elizabeth Metcalf died at the scene at FM 1585 and County Road 3100, about halfway between Lubbock and Slaton. Officials arrived at about 6:38 p.m. DPS said the driver of the other vehicle, a pickup, had minor injuries. Jail records identify him as Monti Johnson, 34.

Investigators believe Metcalf was driving west on FM 1585 in a 2019 Ford Escape when a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado, heading north on County Road 3100, entered the intersection without yielding. Traffic on County Road 3100 is controlled by a stop sign. DPS said Metcalf tried to avoid the pickup but hit its passenger side, and both vehicles stopped in a field northwest of the intersection. She was wearing a seat belt. The speed limit on that stretch is 75 mph, and conditions were clear and dry, according to DPS.

An arrest affidavit says investigators smelled alcohol on Johnson at the scene. At University Medical Center, an investigator noted that his eyes appeared bloodshot and glossy and the odor of alcohol was still strong, the affidavit says. Johnson told investigators he had a beer and a mixed drink beforehand, it says, and he declined field sobriety tests and refused to give a specimen. Investigators got a warrant to search his blood.

Johnson was released from the hospital after being medically cleared, then arrested by DPS and booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center on Monday. Jail records showed him still in custody that afternoon on a $100,000 bond.