Man arrested in Bastrop for 2019 crash that left teen dead

Julien White was arrested last week and charged with intoxicated manslaughter for the 2019 death of Francisco Sanchez Jr., who was a senior at Bastrop High School when he was struck and killed by a speeding vehicle driven by White last August, according to court records.

White, 23, was charged with intoxicated manslaughter with a vehicle after lab results showed White was driving drunk with a blood-alcohol concentration of .185%, more than twice the legal limit, court records show. The state crime lab returned the results nearly one year after the crash occurred.

On Aug. 10, 2019, White was driving eastbound along Texas 21 in a 2006 GMC pickup, speeding and passing multiple vehicles when he verged onto oncoming traffic, according to a police report. White struck Sanchez’s 2011 Hyundai Sonata head-on. Sanchez died at the scene.

White told state troopers that he had consumed three White Claws, one Miller Light and one mixed drink, according to his probable cause affidavit. White failed a field sobriety test and voluntarily provided a blood sample to determine blood alcohol concentration. White was then taken to the hospital for injuries he sustained in the crash, and medical staff took an additional blood sample.

An analysis of the blood sample taken by medical staff, which was obtained by investigators through a subpoena, showed White had a BAC of .199%, court records state.

The legal limit in Texas is .08%, and levels of .15% or higher can result in higher penalties.

Both Sanchez and White also had traces of tetrahydrocannabinol, a psychoactive compound found in marijuana, in their blood. According to his obituary, Sanchez was entering his senior year at Bastrop High School when he was killed.

“He enjoyed playing football, hanging out with his friends, and being the big brother even though he was the little brother,” his family wrote in his obituary. “He worked part time jobs whenever and wherever he could to help his family, especially his Mom. Francisco encouraged others to do better and to live life to the fullest.”

White was booked in jail Friday with bail set at $100,000.