Student Driver Charged in Fatal Old Mission Crash

Jackson Lakies, the 18-year-old driver in an October 3 car crash on Center Road that killed passenger Jason Soloman, has been charged with second-degree murder and operating while intoxicated causing death. 

According to a release from the Grand Traverse County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Lakies was traveling approximately 129 miles per hour five seconds before the crash as he approached a sharp curve in the road on Center Road near McKinley Road that Saturday morning shortly before 8am. He left the roadway and hit a tree, resulting in a "catastrophic collision," the release states. Lakies was driving a 2016 BMW.

No vehicle braking was detected until half a second before impact. Lakies was under the influence of alcohol at the time. Jason Soloman, the 17-year-old passenger in the car, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Both were students at TC Central High School. The charge of second-degree murder alleges that Lakies "knowingly engaged in conduct that created a very high risk of death or great bodily harm, knowing that death or such harm was the likely result of his actions," according to the prosecutor's office.

According to court records, Lakies has prior citations for being a minor in possession of alcohol (MIP) in June 2025 and speeding in May of this year.

Second-degree murder is a felony punishable by up to life in prison. Operating while intoxicated causing death is a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Lakies was arrested Friday morning and taken to the Grand Traverse County Jail. He is expected to be arraigned soon in 86th District Court.