A Bethel police officer was arrested by Connecticut State Police on allegations she helped her brother evade a crash that killed a teenage girl last January.

Jessenia Beamonte, 32, of Derby, turned herself in to state police on an active warrant Tuesday. She's now charged with accessory to evading responsibility, third-degree hindering prosecution and interfering with an officer in connection with a crash in Shelton that killed Chloe Ramsubhag, 14, of Waterbury, on Jan. 12, 2025.

Beamonte joined the Bethel police force in 2016, according to an old post on the department's Facebook page. She’s now been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal process and an internal review, according to Lt. Michael Libertini.

Beamonte wasn't on duty at the time of the collision or directly part of it, but her brother was, and according to her arrest warrant, “She knowingly and willfully impeded a police investigation, delayed contacting police/emergency services, and utilized her professional law enforcement training and knowledge to obstruct and hinder the investigation of this collision."

The warrant said an investigation found her brother had consumed at least eight alcoholic drinks before causing a three-vehicle crash at 12:39 a.m. His SUV rear-ended a car driven by Ramsubhag’s father, sending it across the grassy median, onto the opposite side of the highway and into another vehicle’s path, per the warrant.

Beamonte’s brother fled the scene and apparently called his sister, police said. According to the warrant, security cameras from a Shelton body shop caught him pull into the parking lot next door at 12:43 a.m. and Beamonte arrive at 1:01 a.m. The warrant said Beamonte’s brother called 911 at 1:26 a.m. to report he was involved in a collision, but dispatch believed it was a separate one, not the fatal scene troopers had responded to.

According to the warrant, Beamonte called 911 at 2:17 a.m., well over an hour after she met her brother, and reported he was involved in a crash, and she wanted to take him to the hospital. She was advised that a trooper’s response to their location would be delayed because of a fatal collision. The warrant noted that at that time, police did not know Beamonte’s brother’s involvement in the Route 8 crash.

But at 3:17 a.m., investigators found a detached license plate at the scene that matched her brother's SUV, the warrant said.

Before Beamonte called 911, she allegedly called a Bethel sergeant for advice, saying her brother had been in a crash after drinking four beers over four hours, and he had left the scene, the warrant said. The sergeant said Beamonte needed to call 911 and take her brother back to the crash site, but Beamonte explained police knew their location and would be there shortly, according to the warrant. Beamonte called the sergeant again and said her brother was complaining of chest pain and no one had arrived yet, so the sergeant told her to take her brother to the scene to be evaluated or to the hospital, the warrant said. The sergeant told police Beamonte asked whether her brother would be subject to a field sobriety test if he went back, and the sergeant answered that it was possible, but at the hospital, they would draw blood, per the warrant.

Beamonte took her brother to the hospital, where, according to the warrant, he said he drank one beer prior to the crash but declined to give a statement to police or blood and urine samples to medical staff.

A statement from Bethel police said in part, "The Bethel Police Department takes these matters seriously and holds its members to high professional and ethical standards. Maintaining public trust is a priority for this department, and we are committed to transparency while respecting due process. We will cooperate fully with the investigating agency."

Beamonte is currently free on a $250,000 bond and given a first court date of Jan. 29.

Her attorney, Gene Zingaro, told News 12, "My client maintains her absolute innocence. That being said, we are not oblivious to the tragic loss of life in this case, and we wish the family of the victim nothing but the best in this very difficult time."

Beamonte is the first person to be arrested in connection with the deadly crash. At this time, her brother is not facing charges, but state police said additional arrests are expected in the coming days.