Repeat drunken-driving offender accused of killing honors college student heading home from wedding

A Florida antheral is down bars aft an alleged wrong-way clang killed a assemblage pupil earlier this month. 

Dennis Lee Olson, 53, of Lehigh Acres, is facing charges of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide aft a collision outgo a 21-year-old assemblage pupil her life, according to FOX 13. 

The incidental unfolded conscionable aft 1 a.m. connected May 17, erstwhile postulation cameras reportedly captured the infinitesimal Olson’s Ford F-150 allegedly made an improper U-turn into the northbound lanes of I-75 successful Charlotte County and slammed into 2 oncoming vehicles.

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Dennis Lee Olson, 53, faces charges of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide successful Charlotte County, Florida. (Charlotte County Sheriff's Office)

The collision killed Lauryn Akey, a 21-year-old University of South Florida student, and near the pistillate driving the 2nd conveyance and her 12-year-old and 15-year-old passengers with superior injuries, according to the outlet.

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Lauryn Akey, 21, was fatally struck by an alleged drunken operator successful Charlotte County, Fla., connected May 17, 2026, aft texting her household she had gotten state and loved them portion driving location from a wedding. (Lauryn Akey Obituary)

Authorities said Olson’s humor intoxicant level was allegedly .222 astatine the clip of the clang – roughly 3 times the ineligible bounds successful Florida, according to FOX 13. He was antecedently convicted successful 2019 of driving portion impaired and sentenced to 2 years of probation successful Minnesota, the outlet reported.

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Dennis Olson allegedly made an improper U-turn into northbound lanes of I-75 successful Charlotte County and collided with 2 vehicles conscionable aft 1 a.m. connected May 17. (Florida Highway Patrol)

Olson allegedly told officers astatine the country that helium was returning from "Sip & Sizzle" successful Fort Myers and was having a "bad" night, according to tribunal documents obtained by Fox News Digital. 

Akey was driving location from a wedding astatine the clip of the fatal collision, and had texted her household conscionable minutes earlier the clang to archer them she had gotten state and that she loved them, FOX 13 reported.

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Lauryn Akey was acceptable to statesman her elder twelvemonth astatine the University of South Florida, wherever she studied workout subject and maintained a 4.0 GPA, according to her obituary. (@lauryn.akey/Instagram)

The Illinois autochthonal was acceptable to statesman her elder twelvemonth astatine USF, wherever she studied workout subject and maintained a 4.0 GPA, according to her obituary. She planned to prosecute a vocation successful nursing aft graduation, her household added. 

"She would person done astonishing things," Akey’s mother, Melinda Mucho, told FOX 13. "Her beingness was conscionable connected the horizon; her beingness was conscionable getting started with her boyfriend. She was going to postgraduate adjacent year, and I privation everyone to spot her and consciousness that."

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Following his arrest, a Charlotte County justice reportedly ordered Olson beryllium held without bond, with the authorities attorney's bureau indicating helium could look further charges. 

He is scheduled to look successful tribunal connected June 15, according to tribunal records.

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"By readying ahead, this calamity could person astir surely been avoided," Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Ken Watson told FOX 13. "Now, we person respective families who person been destroyed, including the operator himself, who is present looking astatine respective years down bars."

Fox News Digital reached retired to Florida Highway Patrol, Olson's lawyer and the Charlotte County State Attorney’s Office for comment.