Texas teacher charged after 13-year-old found in car trunk at COVID test site
Harris County TX Jan 8 2022
Police in Texas charged a woman after her son was found in the trunk of her car at a drive-thru COVID testing site, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to media outlets.
Sarah Beam, 42, who worked as a local teacher, was charged with endangering a child, Houston-area television station KPRC reported. Cy-Fair ISD Police Department told reporters a warrant has been issued for her arrest.
The incident happened on Monday Jan. 3, the television station reported, when Beam pulled into the drive-thru testing site at a stadium in northwest Harris County, and a witness heard something in the trunk. The witness said when Beam unlatched the trunk, the boy was found lying face-down inside.
According to the KPRC report:
Volunteers told Beam she would not receive a COVID test until the child was removed from the trunk and placed in the back seat of the vehicle, according to court documents. The witness then called police.
Beam allegedly told authorities her son had tested positive for COVID-19 and she was taking him to the site for additional testing. To protect herself from being exposed, Beam put the boy in the trunk, the news station reported.
Video surveillance cameras from a nearby middle school recorded the child exiting the trunk of the car and getting in the back seat, Fox13 reported.
The television station reported that Beam most recently worked as a teacher at Cypress Falls High School and has been employed by the district since 2011. She is now on administrative leave.
