HOUSTON – A woman has been charged in connection with a motorcycle crash that killed Harris County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Bruce Watson, according to the Pearland Police Department.
On Tuesday, Floribeth Sandoval-Benjume was arrested and charged with manslaughter.
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Watson, a 20-year department veteran, had just finished an off-duty job leading a funeral procession and was on his way home on his motorcycle when he got involved in a crash with an SUV on Jan. 2. The driver of the SUV, Sandoval-Benjume, stopped after the crash and showed no signs of drugs or intoxication, police said.
Watson later died from his injuries at Memorial Hermann Hospital.
Investigators previously stated that the crash appeared to be an accident, but after a weekslong investigation, the Brazoria County District Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and accepted the charge of manslaughter against Sandoval-Benjume.
Watson, 51, was assigned to the Patrol Support Services Bureau, working the night shift at the Emergency Dispatch Center. He joined the Sheriff’s Office in March 2000 and previously served as a Detention Sergeant in the Harris County Jail, a patrol field training officer, and an instructor at the training academy. He was also a U.S. Army veteran.
Watson is survived by his wife, a Houston Police Department officer, and his three adult children, two daughters and a son. His funeral was held at Grace Community Church in southeast Houston on Jan. 12.