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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A Long Island woman accused of killing NYPD Officer Anastasio Tsakos with her car was held without bail on multiple charges Tuesday.
Meanwhile, people across the area paid tribute to the fallen hero, who left behind a wife and two young children.
READ MORE: NYPD Officer Anastasios Tsakos Killed Directing Traffic On Long Island Expressway, Driver Charged With DWI
Sources told CBS2 the driver, 32-year-old Jessica Beauvais, was intoxicated and blew a .15 — nearly double the legal limit. If convicted, she could face up to 15 years in prison.
“I’m sorry that I hit him and that he’s dead,” she said through tears as she was walked out of a Queens police precinct.
The Hempstead woman faces 13 counts, including second-degree aggravated manslaughter and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
(Credit: NYPD 104 Pct/Twitter)
Police said she struck and killed Tsakos, a 14-year veteran of the NYPD Highway Patrol Unit, while he was directing traffic away from another crash on the Long Island Expressway.
Prosecutors allege Beauvais admitted she was drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana before she got in the car, she did not know where she was going and was following GPS.
On Wednesday morning, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said bail reform and legalized marijuana are adding to the issue.
“I think the problem is, you know, there’s no consequences when they’re doing things, and it’s fueling this just toxic environment right now,” he said.
Police said she was speeding and ignored traffic cones and flashing lights before hitting Tsakos with her Volkswagen Passat.
“Police officer who died saving other police officers. His partner yelled out, and other police officers were able to get out of the way,” New York City Police Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch said.
With her windshield smashed, police said Beauvais drove off, dragging a safety cone past several exits. She was eventually arrested, and prosecutors claim body camera video captured her asking an officer, “What did I do?”
READ MORE: Neighbors Remember NYPD Officer Anastasios Tsakos As Loving Father Who Lent A Hand
Beauvais is the sole provider for her teenage son. Police say she was driving with a suspended license and is due back in court later this month.
Meanwhile in East Northport, Tsakos’ parents, Stavros and Anna, arrived from Greece.
They were greeted with a hug from daughter Kathy, just a moment of clinging and sobbing together before continuing inside the home to join their son’s widow, Irene, and their two young grandkids, a son and a daughter robbed of their father.
The couple was escorted to the home by police in a three-vehicle convoy.
“You know, our focus now really is on Officer Tsakos’ family,” Shea said Wednesday.
“I was with him, like, two days ago. He was doing his yard, and I was talking to him. I mean, the guy is always warm,” neighbor Patrick Kalemera told CBS2’s Dave Carlin.
Deliveries to the door were mostly handled by officers, but not all of them.
When two women arrived with trays of food, they told the officers on the street that they were representing the neighborhood.
“We gave everything to her, to the widow, and it’s just very sad,” neighbor Cindy Cosentino said.
She says this strong support from family, friends and the department is what’s needed right now, along with space for the family to heal.
CBS2’s John Dias contributed to this report.
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