Texas Mother Put Child in Trunk of Car to Avoid Covid, Claims DA

Sarah Beam arrived to a Houston-area Covid testing site on January 3 with her 13-year-old, who was positive with the virus, locked in the trunk for fear of contracting it herself, according to a warrant issued by the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

Authorities arrived at the testing site in response to concerned health officials on the scene. The warrant, as seen by CNN, says the director of health services "found a female driver, later identified as Sarah Beam, having her child in the trunk of her car."

"The defendant confirmed that her son, K.H., who is a 13-year-old child, was in the trunk of the car due (to) the child having been tested positive for Covid," the warrant goes on to state.

The health director claims Beam told her she took the extreme measure to avoid exposure to the virus.

The official went on to tell the mother her son, who she claims to have seen "lying down inside the trunk," that he needed to be removed and put in the backseat of the car for testing. When authorities arrived they found him in the backseat of the car -- surveillance footage from a nearby school confirmed the boy had exited the trunk and entered the car "on the passenger side," per the warrant.

Beam made bond on Sunday. According to CNN she is a teacher at Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (CFISD).

"CFPD was alerted that a child was in the trunk of a car at a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site last week. Law enforcement conducted a full investigation, resulting in a warrant for arrest. Thankfully, the child was not harmed. Sarah Beam most recently worked as a teacher in CFISD and is currently on administrative leave," they told the outlet in a statement.