Mom’s teen trunk case may go to grand jury

A Harris County judge on Thursday declined to find probable cause in the child endangerment case of a Cy-Fair ISD teacher who drove to a COVID testing site while her son was in the trunk of her car.

Judge Chris Morton of the 230th District Court deemed 41year-old teacher Sarah Beam’s teenage son was not in any imminent danger and ruled that there was no probable cause in the case, court records show.

Yet, according to a report from KTRK, Beam’s case was not dismissed by the judge, leaving a window for prosecutors to find any other circumstances to charge her in court. She was placed on administrative leave last week by Cy-Fair ISD.

A representative for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office sent an email Thursday night to the Chronicle stating although prosecutors respect the court’s decision, they will continue with their work on the case.

“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 of the people of Harris County can decide whether a criminal charge is appropriate,” stated Dane Schiller, spokesman for the District Attorney’s Office.

According to Beam’s charging documents, she drove to a drivethru COVID-19 testing site at CyFair’s Pridgeon Stadium on Jan. 3 when the school district’s director of health services saw her with her 13-year-old in the trunk.

Investigators added that Beam acknowledged her son was in the trunk and told the Cy-Fair director of health services it was due to him testing positive for the virus and to “prevent her from being exposed” while she drove him to get additional testing at the site.

After Cy-Fair ISD police were called to the site, investigators stated surveillance footage from the scene confirmed that the teen was seen getting out of the trunk, court documents said.

According to Cy-Fair ISD police, law enforcement conducted a full investigation and issued a warrant for Beam’s arrest. She was taken into custody Jan. 8 and the next day posted a $1,500 bond, records show.

According to a KTRK report, Beam’s attorney, Nathaniel Pitoniak, said the defense is happy about the judge’s decision.

No date has been set for Beam’s next court appearance, according to the county’s website.

According to school district records, Beam was at one point an English teacher for Cypress Falls High School.