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The Texas Department of Public Safety has charged a 47-year-old McAllen man in the crash that killed a Cameron County Precinct 1 deputy constable.
In a news release, DPS said Jesse Edward Leatherwood has been charged with manslaughter for hitting and killing Deputy Constable Ruben Garcia, of Brownsville, who was working a crash on Monday at approximately 6:45 p.m. on State Highway 48 near Marine Way Road.
Cameron County jail records indicate he is also charged with falsifying a drug test.
Garcia was hit while assisting DPS with another crash when a white Chevrolet Silverado rear-ended his patrol vehicle.
DPS initially said Leatherwood told them he was looking at his phone at the time of the crash and that investigators suspected he was intoxicated.
It’s unclear whether he was intoxicated as the manslaughter charge does not reflect this. However, DPS did say it secured a blood draw warrant.
In a Thursday update, DPS did not mention intoxication or Leatherwood’s alleged statement that he was distracted by his phone.
Leatherwood remains held in the Cameron County Carrizales-Rucker Detention Center.
