TEXARKANA, Texas -- A woman who allegedly was under the influence last year when she crashed her car into a tree, seriously injuring a small child in the back seat, has been indicted by a Bowie County grand jury.
Tamera Roylanda King-Powell, 24, faces two to 10 years in prison if convicted of intoxication assault. If convicted of driving while intoxicated with a child passenger, King-Powell faces six months to two years in a state jail.
King-Powell was driving a white 2011 Nissan Rogue when she left the roadway July 3 in the 2600 block of St. Michael Drive and struck a tree, according to a probable cause affidavit. She allegedly was holding a 2-year-old girl with a bleeding face when police arrived.
A witness who attempted to check on the people in the Nissan told a patrol officer with Texarkana, Texas, police that she smelled alcohol coming from King-Powell. While King-Powell and the child were inside an ambulance being evaluated, officers allegedly noticed a hand-rolled marijuana cigarette on the front passenger seat with a lighter beside it.
A 750-milliliter bottle of Crown Royal whiskey with approximately a fourth of its contents missing was allegedly discovered in the front passenger floorboard. A pink bottle next to the whiskey bottle allegedly smelled of alcohol as well.
"In the back right seat of this vehicle, I observed a child's booster seat which was not properly secured and was able to move around with minimal force," the affidavit states. "I observed fresh blood on the back of the front passenger seat directly in front of the child's booster seat."
The child was determined to have suffered a fractured jaw and was airlifted from CHRISTUS St. Michael Health Center in Texarkana to Dallas Children's Hospital for treatment.
King-Powell is free on a $75,000 bond. The case is assigned to 102nd District Judge Jeff Addison.