Judge ruled there was no probable cause to charge the 41-year-old mother accused of forcing her 13-year-old son in the trunk of her car to prevent her from getting exposed after the boy tested positive for COVID-19. The woman allegedly forced the boy in the trunk before she drove to the drive-thru testing site to get a confirmatory test when he returned a positive result on January 3.
The 41-year-old woman from Texas, Sarah Beam, allegedly put her 13-year-old son in the trunk before she drove to the drive-thru testing site to get a confirmatory test when he returned a positive result on January 3.
The Cy-Fair ISD PD issued a warrant for her arrest on Friday and later charged her with child endangerment. But, Judge Chris Morton ruled yesterday that she had not put her son in ‘imminent danger of bodily harm’, her lawyer Pitoniak reportedly said.
The state could to continue to investigate Beam. The local police department said it respected Judge Morton’s ruling and would continue to review the evidence with the possibility of taking the case to a grand jury to find an appropriate charge to bring against the teacher.
The 41-year-old mother reportedly pulled up to the giant tent set up on Falcon Road when Bevin Gordon, the health services director at the site, heard a noise inside her trunk on January 3.
The teacher then told the health services director that her 13-year-old son had tested positive for the virus and had to be quarantined. The woman also said that she placed in him the trunk to protect herself from the virus and wanted to get him an additional test, according to reports.
When the health services director opened the trunk, he reportedly found the 13-year-old boy laying down inside the vehicle.
Gordon then told the mother that she could not receive a Covid-19 test until the boy was seated safely in the backseat. Surveillance footage reportedly showed the 13-year-old exiting the trunk and climbing into the back seat. Officials have confirmed that the 13-year-old boy was not harmed during the incident.
The DA’s spokesperson Dan Schiller reportedly said:
“We will review all the evidence gathered by police and make a determination on how to proceed, including the possibility of presenting this case to a grand jury so that representatives can decide whether a criminal charge is appropriate. We respect the judge’s ruling and we will continue with our work.”
It remains unclear whether the mom or her 13-year-old son were vaccinated. This incident remains under investigation. This is a developing story and it will be updated as new information become available.