Teen charged in wreck that killed Pollard attended three area high schools

The 19-year-old charged in the April 18 wreck that killed Carver High baseball coach David Pollard attended three different Muscogee County high schools in less than three years.

William C. Cross of Columbus was arrested at 12:30 p.m. Monday at the Value Place hotel at 1801 Victory Drive. He faces one count each of homicide by vehicle, felony murder and theft by taking auto in connection the wreck at the intersection of Buena Vista and Andrews roads, according to a report from Corp. Rosalyn Hall of the Columbus Police Department’s Hit-and-Run Investigation Division.

Cross was enrolled at Carver, Spencer and Hardaway high schools, said Valerie L. Fuller, director of communications at the Muscogee County School District.

He attended Carver from Aug. 13, 2012 to Aug. 13, 2014 before attending Spencer from Aug. 25, 2014 to Sept. 15, 2014. He went on to attend Hardaway from Sept. 23 to March 19, 2015, Fuller said.

A former Carver High classmate of Cross emailed the Ledger-Enquirer to say that Cross was a quiet, soft-spoken person who was never in trouble.

According to police, Cross was driving the stolen silver Audi when he failed to stop at a red light and struck Pollard’s silver Chevrolet sedan, which then struck the left side of the Chevy Impala. The suspect allegedly left on foot, going south on Andrews Road, said Sgt. Fred Carnes.

At the time, the driver was described as a black male in his early 20s who appeared to be around 6-foot-1 and weighing 145 pounds. He was wearing dark clothes and had injuries, officials said.

Pollard, 36, was pronounced dead of blunt-force trauma later that afternoon at 1:52 p.m., said Muscogee County Chief Deputy Coroner Freeman Worley.

At his funeral on April 24, Pollard was remembered as a devoted husband and father, a pensive and deeply intelligent individual, and a man committed to having a positive impact on his community as a coach, educator and mentor. He was a man who made friends with a large variety of people, regardless of religion, race or occupation.

“David was trying to save lives,” said his brother, Carlos Pollard. “Lives that have no color. ... David didn’t reach for the low-hanging fruit. He reached for lives that needed to be saved.”

Carlos said that included the driver of the stolen car that caused the wreck that took his brother’s life.

“I wasn’t mad,” Carlos said during the funeral. “It was just a kid who needed help.”

John Lovett, David’s childhood friend, said he’s sadden that more young people won’t be able to benefit from the coach’s words of wisdom and kind gestures.

“He just had so many plans he had in place for how to help kids that just went away just like that,” Lovett said. “There were a lot of kids who don’t have fathers in the home and with those that do, he instilled that extra help to them and their family.”

Adrian “Tank” Morgan, who is the god father to David’s 9-year-old daughter, said justice won’t be served until the person responsible for the death of his long-time friend has been convicted and punished accordingly.

“Lives were destroyed,” said Morgan, who described the incident as senseless. “Not only were our lives destroyed, but his family is devastated as well. His mother loses a son if he’s convicted of his crime.”

Cross is being held in the Muscogee County Jail, where he was granted a $9,000 bond on the theft charge but denied bond on the remaining charges. His preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. Thursday in Columbus Recorder’s Court.

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 12:03 PM with the headline "Teen charged in wreck that killed Pollard attended three area high schools."