Bianca Farmer, a member of the Georgia National Guard, was charged with intoxicated manslaughter and assault following a drunken driving accident in Texas that killed Spc. Nashyra Whitaker of the Louisiana National Guard. (Hidalgo County Detention Center )
A Georgia National Guard soldier who was stationed in the Valley on a border mission when she allegedly drove drunk and killed a Louisiana Army National Guardsman failed to appear for a hearing in her intoxication manslaughter case.
Now, 26-year-old Bianca Farmer has a warrant for her arrest.
She is facing an indictment charging her with intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault causing bodily injury for the Sept. 5, 2021 McAllen crash that killed 23-year-old Nashyra S. Whitaker.
Court records indicate her attorney was notified of the Tuesday in-person hearing on Jan. 12. That hearing was then moved to Wednesday.
She didn’t appear and state District Judge Bobby Flores issued a warrant for her arrest, court records show.
The crash happened on a Sunday in the 100 block of North 23rd Street at about 2:24 a.m where police found a silver Ford F-150 with “major damage” to its left side near a large wooden pole.
When police spoke with the driver, Farmer, they smelled a strong odor of alcohol. Farmer claimed to only have one drink at a downtown bar before driving to a Hampton Inn when the crash happened, according to a probable cause affidavit.
“Mrs. Farmer (said) that she had been traveling north bound (sic) on 23rd Street when someone cut her off which caused her to swerve,” the affidavit stated.
Whitaker died at 3:52 a.m. that night.
The Military Times reported that the soldiers were assigned to Joint Task Force-North and were supporting U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the Valley.
Farmer had bailed out of the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on Sept. 8, 2021 on a total of $190,000 in bonds.
(c)2024 The Monitor (McAllen, Texas)
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