A Minnesota man who cut off his GPS tracker and fled before his criminal sexual conduct trial concluded in Washington County District Court died Wednesday night in Texas, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

David Powers. (Courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office)

David Powers, 37, of New Auburn, Minn., reportedly jumped off an overpass onto a highway in San Antonio and then assaulted someone who stopped to help. He later died at a hospital in San Antonio, police said.

Officers there responded to a report of a “suicide in progress” at 10:19 p.m. Wednesday in the 300 block of Northeast Loop 410, according to a preliminary report from the San Antonio Police Department.

Witnesses told police they saw a man jump off a bridge near Jones Maltsberger Road and land on the westbound lanes of Loop 410, according to the report. He was then seen walking along the highway, attempting to get vehicles to stop, police said.

“A citizen stopped his vehicle to assist, when the male suspect pulled the citizen out of his vehicle and began assaulting the citizen, attempting to take the citizen’s vehicle,” the report states.

Officers arrived and detained the man. He was later taken by EMS to the hospital, where he succumbed to injuries and was pronounced dead, the report states.

Washington County officials received confirmation on Friday morning from Texas authorities that the man who died was Powers, said Chief Deputy Doug Anschutz.

Powers did not show up to be cross-examined by Washington County prosecutors near the end of his five-day criminal trial on Monday, and Washington County District Court Judge Helen Brosnahan issued a bench warrant for Powers’ arrest.

On Tuesday afternoon, a Washington County jury found Powers guilty of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and domestic assault by strangulation.

Powers, who was out on bail, reportedly cut off his GPS ankle monitor, which had been a condition of his bail, police said.

Powers, who also is known as David Robekevich, was charged in 2023 with beating and raping a Lake Elmo woman while holding her against her will in her home for more than 24 hours.

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