BEAUMONT, Texas — Jury selection is set to begin Tuesday morning in the trial of a Port Arthur man charged in an August 2020 head-on wreck that killed a Beaumont Police officer and seriously injured her partner.
The trial of Luis Fernando Torres, 20, of Port Arthur, on first degree felony charges of intoxication manslaughter in the death of Beaumont officer Sheena Yarbrough-Powell, 23, of Lumberton, is set to begin Tuesday.
If convicted, Torres faces from five to 99 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
The trial will start with jury selection in Jefferson County's Criminal District Court before Judge John Stevens.
Beaumont attorney Tom Burbank will be defending Torres, who also faces an intoxication assault charge for seriously injuring officer Gabriel Fells which will be handled later.
Jefferson County prosecutor Pat Knauth, assisted by Keith Giblin and Waylon Thompson, will be leading the prosecution for the state.
Torres, who was 18 at the time of the wreck, remains in the Jefferson County Correctional Facility where he is being held on total bonds of $750,000 according to jail records.
Officer Yarbrough-Powell died at the scene of the wreck which happened in the early morning hours of Sunday, August 9, 2020, in the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 69 near the Texas 347 overpass.
Her partner, officer Fells , who was 28 at the time, was seriously injured in the wreck.
Funeral procession for Beaumont Police Officer Sheena Yarbrough-Powell
Torres' blood alcohol content was 296 mg/DL the morning of the crash according to a probable cause affidavit. That's more than 3 times the legal limit.
The affidavit says his 'activities' before the crash were found on 'media platforms.'
"Additional information about Torres' activities leading to this event were found on several different media platforms, Torres own admission to consuming alcohol, and witnesses testimony all illustrate a night of heavy drinking," investigators said.
Torres was booked into the Jefferson County jail on Thursday, August, 13, 2020.
PHOTOS | Beaumont Police officer dies in head-on crash
The Beaumont Police SUV cruiser the officers were riding in was struck head-on by Torres, who was going south in the northbound lanes according to the affidavit.
Police say Torres was driving a 2006 Ford Mustang with its headlights off headed the wrong way on Cardinal Drive near the Highway 347 overpass when he struck the officer’s cruiser.
Powell, a 2015 Lumberton High School graduate, received her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Lamar University and then completed the police academy at Lamar Institute of Technology.
She was sworn in as an officer in December 2018.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
