The Hempstead woman accused of striking and killing an NYPD officer while driving intoxicated on the Long Island Expressway last month was charged with aggravated manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter and other crimes in a 13-count indictment unsealed Monday, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Jessica Beauvais, 32, will be arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on May 25, Katz said. Beauvais faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Katz said Beauvais’s vehicle struck NYPD Officer Anastasio Tsakos with such force early on April 27 that he was thrown nearly 40 feet in the air.
“There is a list of bad choices, from drinking and getting high and getting behind the wheel of a car, that ended tragically with the defendant running down Highway Officer Anastasios Tsakos and then trying to get away,” Katz said.
Beauvais’ attorney, Jorge Santos of Queens, could not be immediately reached for comment.
Tsakos, a father of two, was posthumously promoted to detective. His funeral, which drew thousands of police officers and supporters, was held last week in Greenlawn.
Tsakos and other NYPD officers responded to the scene of a one-car crash on the Long Island Expressway ramp entrance to the Clearview Expressway, Katz said. A driver headed eastbound on the LIE lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a wall. The driver and two passengers had to be pulled from the vehicle after it caught on fire. A third passenger died at the scene.
Tsakos was directing traffic when Beauvais, driving a 2013 Volkswagen Passat eastbound on the expressway at a high speed, approached the scene of the crash and hit Tsakos. Katz said Beauvais did not stop or slow down and continued to drive past several off ramps before exiting.
Beauvais attempted to flee the scene after she was surrounded by police. She put her Passat into reverse and rammed a police car before coming to a full stop, Katz said.
Beauvais’ blood-alcohol content was 0.15% two hour after the fatal accident, Katz said, nearly double the legal limit of 0.08% in New York state.
Tsakos was rushed to a nearby hospital but died as a result of his injuries.
