Woman Charged With Manslaughter In Death Of NYPD Officer From LI

QUEENS, NY — The woman accused of fatally striking a police officer with her car on the Long Island Expressway has been indicted by a grand jury on several charges, the Queens District Attorney's office announced Monday.

Jessica Beauvais, 32, of Hempstead, was accused of driving while intoxicated and hitting NYPD highway patrol officer Anastasios Tsakos, 43, of East Northport, in the early hours of April 27, the DA said. The most severe charges she faces are second-degree aggravated manslaughter and second-degree vehicular manslaughter.

"As alleged, 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," District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. "Posthumously promoted to detective, Officer Anastasios Tsakos was struck while directing traffic and protecting New Yorkers in the aftermath of a fatal one-car crash early that morning. This is heartbreaking, and a mother is left alone to raise a six-year-old and a three-year-old."

Beauvais is expected to be arraigned May 25 on a 13-count indictment, the DA said. Other charges she faces include aggravated criminally negligent homicide and leaving the scene of an incident without reporting.

Beauvais faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, the DA said in a statement.

Beauvais was taken to the 112th precinct after her arrest, where she took a breath test, authorities said. She had a blood alcohol level of .15, which is almost double the legal limit in the state, Katz's office said.

Tsakos's funeral was held May 4 in Greenlawn, where tens of thousands of mourners gathered to pay their respects to the fallen officer.