The pandemic has been pushing people to some really heinous extremes. At the beginning they were kind of funny. Hoarding toilet paper has become a regular thing as people “prepare” for the next lockdown. Some of the extremes, though, haven’t been as goofy. Society’s overall mental health is at an all time low. The looming doom and gloom is sending us over edges we didn’t know existed.
For one mother in Texas, that’s exactly what happened.
Sarah Beam was charged with child endangerment in Texas. How did she endanger the child? Allegedly, she put her 13-year old son into the trunk of her car after learning he’d been exposed to COVID-19. She was taking him to a testing center, and was concerned about being exposed and catching the virus herself. All of this information comes from the warrant issued by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
When it comes to a mother’s love, this behavior is beyond comprehension for most. After all, aren’t mothers supposed to do whatever it takes to protect their children? Like we said, it seems like the pandemic has been pushing people to strange extremes that we never expected.
It seems that the judge involved in the case understands that. At this point in time, Beam has been let off the hook. The judge involved in the case has ruled that they find no probable cause, and no reason to charge the mother with endangering her son’s life by placing him into the trunk of her car.
While the judge hasn’t found Beam guilty of any wrongdoing at this point in time, others are skeptical. In particular, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office isn’t convinced that this was entirely legal, and it certainly wasn’t safe. A spokesperson for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Dane Schiller, told CNN that they are going to continue to review the evidence in question. Should they deem it fit, they may continue to pursue the case, and take it to a grand jury to see whether or not there is an appropriate charge. Schiller said:
We absolutely respect the judge’s ruling, and we will continue with our work.
When you review the facts, it is certainly unlawful to place a passenger in the trunk of a vehicle. In most states, vehicle code states the following, if not in this exact wording:
A person driving a motor vehicle shall not knowingly permit a person to ride on a vehicle or upon a portion of a vehicle that is not designed or intended for the use of passengers.
This statement alone shows that what Beam did was not within the confines of the law, which is why the District Attorney’s Office is likely going to continue pursuit of a charge.
Regardless, Beam’s lawyer Nathaniel Pitoniak is looking at the judge’s ruling as a win. In a statement outside of court on January 13th, he stated that they were disputing the facts of the affidavit to begin with. However, with the judge’s ruling, they are certain that Beam didn’t place her son in any imminent danger, or in the way of harm.
While Pitoniak is looking to dispute the affidavit, it seems pretty hard to do at this point in time. Several eyewitnesses saw Beam’s son in the trunk of the car when she arrived at the testing site on January 3rd, which is what sparked the warrant for her arrest.
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The pandemic is pushing people to extremes, but for Beam, a Texan mother, it’s also pushed her beyond making good judgment calls. We’ll see if this case goes any further. It certainly isn’t over.