Houston woman charged after allegedly isolating Covid-positive son in car trunk

Court documents said: ‘[The mother] stated that she put [her son] inside the trunk to prevent her from getting exposed to possible Covid.’ Photograph: Callaghan O’Hare/Reuters

A Houston mother has been charged after allegedly placing her 13-year-old son in the trunk of her car in an attempt to isolate him after he tested positive for Covid-19, then took him to a drive-thru testing site.

In a statement reported by KPRC, an NBC-affiliate, the Cyprus-Fairbanks school district said police were “alerted that a child was in the trunk of a car at a drive-thru Covid-19 testing site earlier this week.

“Law enforcement conducted a full investigation, resulting in a warrant for arrest.”

Sarah Beam, 41, was charged with endangering a child.

“Thankfully, the child was not harmed,” the school district said.

Authorities say the boy was found on Monday at a testing site for the school district in north-west Houston.

Beam is a teacher with the district. The charge against her was filed on Wednesday but not made public until Friday.

According to a court document, the district’s director of health services, Bevin Gordon, was gathering information from vehicles in line for testing at a stadium when she discovered the 13-year-old in the trunk of a car.

“[The mother] stated that she put [her son] inside the trunk to prevent her from getting exposed to possible Covid while driving to the stadium for additional testing,” the court document said.

Gordon called police.

Beam had not yet been arrested or turned herself in, authorities said on Friday. Court records did not list an attorney. Beam had worked for the school district since 2011, it said, adding that she was on administrative leave.

Police did not say whether Beam or her unidentified son were vaccinated.