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Charged with intoxication manslaughter, Luis Fernando Torres, picture here at 18, entered a guilty please April 19 in lieu of the trial jurists were already prepared to hear. -
BPD Officer Sheena Yarbrough-Powell was 23 when she was killed less than a year into the job, Aug. 9, 2020. -
Southeast Texas residents gathered in August 2020 to honor Officer Yarbrough-Powell the day of her funeral -
Local law enforcement escorted Officer Sheena Yarbrough-Powell's body to her final resting place August 2020.
More than a year after drunkenly driving and crashing his Mustang into a patrolling police unit, in August 2020, killing a 23-year-old Beaumont officer when he was 18, a Port Arthur man pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter April 19 and could face no more than 30 years in prison.
The now-20-year-old Luis Fernando Torres claimed culpability for the death of Beaumont Police Department (BPD) Officer Sheena Yarbrough-Powell, entering a guilty plea before Jefferson County Criminal Court Judge John Stevens on Tuesday morning. Torres agreed to an offer from the District Attorney’s Office, limiting Judge Stevens’ May 23 sentencing to no more than 30 years.
Torres initially asked for a trial that was scheduled to begin April 19, with a jury already in place to hear the case. However, Judge Stevens dismissed the jury that morning at about 11 a.m., just before Torres entered the courtroom to enter a guilty plea.
According to information from the Jefferson County Jail, Torres has been behind bars since Aug. 13, 2020. The crash in question took place at approximately 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, according to previous reporting by The Examiner.
BPD Officer Yarbrough-Powell, 23, was riding shotgun with Officer Gabriel Fells, then-28, patrolling Highway 69 near the intersection with MLK Parkway when they were struck head-on by Torres driving a blue 2006 Ford Mustang the wrong way. A DPS report revealed Torres’ BAC (blood alcohol level) to be three times the legal limit at the time of the collision. According to information presented by Stanford University researchers, Torres’ BAC of .296 is considered “severe intoxication” and likely means the person would need assistance walking, experiences mental confusion, dysphoria, nausea and vomiting.
A responding officer slashed his arms open in an attempt to reach Officer Yarbrough-Powell through the broken glass and prevent her from bleeding out, according to information from the District Attorney’s Office.
Torres’ intoxication manslaughter case is part of a nationwide rise in DUI-caused deaths in the nation. Nationwide data, released by international driver’s education company Zutobi, indicates the first year of the pandemic resulted in a 15% increase in drunk driving fatalities compared to 2019, which is around 1,500 more deaths.
Judge Stevens has set Torres’ sentencing for May 23 at which time a pre-sentence investigation report should be complete. Torres may not be the only one to suffer consequences of his alleged drunken state, according to Texas Alcoholic Beverages Commission (TABC) Public Information Officer Chris Porter. The commission is investigating Tequila’s Mexican Bar and Grill in Port Arthur in connection to Torres’ alleged crimes. Porter said the investigation will essentially probe whether minors were served illegally or if overly intoxicated patrons were being served, further stating the restaurant could lose its liquor license and face fines.
Remembering a fallen officer
“It’s a sad day for the Beaumont Police Department,” said Beaumont Police Chief James Singletary at a press conference hours after the crash that killed Yarbrough-Powell. “(Fells) was transported to the hospital with severe injuries, but is stable. Unfortunately, his partner did not survive her injuries.
“There is no doubt that it’s an extremely difficult time to be a police officer, but it’s also an extremely important time to be a police officer. Our officers and dispatchers have done a remarkable job during this difficult time, but we are hurting. The next few weeks, months and years will be difficult for Sheena’s family – both blood and blue. We will get through this together, with the help of our community.”
Officer Sheena Yarbrough-Powell, of Lumberton, was sworn in as a BPD officer in January 2019 and married months later in October 2019, 10 months before she died on duty.
“From karate-chopping best friends in the throat to wrestling sisters to the ground over shoes, she showed her true competitive nature,” read Yarbrough-Powell’s obituary. “She took pleasure in annihilating family and friends in board games, random dance-offs, and workouts. She had an innate ability to make others smile with her glowing personality and was an amazing, genuine woman.”
The weekend after her death, the Beaumont community gathered en masse to honor the fallen officer’s service. Droves of Southeast Texans lined streets, clutching American flags and well-wishing signs along the path from the funeral home to Calvary Baptist, where the ceremony was held.