Bell County, Tx (FOX44/KWKT) – The Bell County Grand Jury has indicted a 53-year-old woman on a manslaughter charge for a deadly traffic crash in 2021.

Bell County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Judy Elaine Sanders in January of 2023 on a warrant obtained by the Department of Public Safety.

An arrest affidavit stated that Sanders was the driver of a Dodge Journey which collided with a Dodge Dart, driven by Sonya Garcia, on Highway 36 near Temple around 1:28 a.m. on December 11, 2021. Both women were transported to the hospital with serious injuries – with Garcia later dying.

The affidavit stated that search warrants were sought and granted for black box information for both vehicles. The affidavit stated information from the black box data and site measurements indicated that the Dodge Journey was traveling in the wrong lane at well below the posted speed limit – and that as the Dart approached, Garcia slowed down and took evasive action.

The investigation indicated that the Journey moved back into the proper lane and accelerated before colliding with the Dart.

The affidavit stated that when Sanders was interviewed, she told the investigating trooper she did not remember anything about the accident and did not know why she was driving on Highway 36 after leaving a friend’s house – where she had been earlier.