Dukes, 39 was driving commercial truck in wreck that killed well-known Greensboro woman Irene Wallace
Emmett Lee Dukes, 39, a truck driver from Selma, Alabama, has been arrested and charged with both murder and first-degree assault following a head-on collision that resulted in the death of Irene Watkins Wallace on February 29, 2024. Wallace, a well-known business owner in Greensboro and longtime employee of the Hale County Sheriff’s Department, was killed when Dukes’ tractortrailer collided with a vehicle in which she was a passenger on Alabama Highway 69 south of Greensboro.
Dukes was taken into custody on October 3, 2024, following an indictment by a Hale County Grand Jury on September 25, 2024. The criminal charges, which include murder and assault, were officially filed the next day, on October 4, 2024. Dukes remains in custody, and a bond of $99,999,999 has been set. His arraignment took place on the same day as his arrest, with Judge Collins Pettaway Jr. presiding over the case.
Dukes is also facing civil litigation in connection to the accident. A wrongful death lawsuit was filed on April 18, 2024, by Renaldo Watkins, representing Wallace’s estate. The civil suit accuses Dukes and his employer, A3 Transport, LLC (also known as Dukes Trucking, LLC), of negligence and wanton conduct, citing the failure to properly maintain and operate the tractor-trailer involved in the collision.
