Judge declines to find probable cause in Cy-Fair ISD teacher Sarah Beam's child endangerment case
The 41-year-old Cypress Falls High School educator is accused of keeping son in trunk of moving car to avoid COVID exposure.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A judge reviewing the child endangerment case against Cy-Fair ISD teacher Sarah Beam did not deem the educator's 13-year-old son was in imminent danger when, as investigators said, he was kept in the trunk of a moving vehicle.
Therefore, the judge in the Harris County 230th District Court on Thursday declined to find probable cause in the case against the 41-year-old, whom the school district placed on administrative leave last week.
However, the case was not dismissed as the court left the door open for the Harris County District Attorney's Office to see if there are any other circumstances to charge Beam.
SEE MORE: Cypress Falls HS teacher accused of keeping son in trunk at COVID test site to avoid exposure by him
Beam entered Thursday morning's hearing with both criticism and support after details of the case were made public last week.
According to her charging documents, Beam had driven to the Pridgeon Stadium COVID-19 drive-thru testing site on Jan. 3, when the Cy-Fair ISD director of health services, who was working the site, saw Beam's vehicle with a teen in the trunk. Beam was said to have acknowledged to the director that her son was in the trunk due to him having tested positive for the coronavirus.
The documents state Beam kept him there to prevent her from getting exposed while driving her child to the stadium for additional testing.
Investigators went on to state that the health worker asked Beam to see the child. Beam unlatched the trunk, and he was lying down inside, without any safety restraints. The worker then told Beam no testing would be done until the child moved into the back seat of the vehicle.
Cy-Fair ISD police were then called to the test site. Surveillance video shows the child got out of the trunk and moved to the back seat.
CFISD said law enforcement conducted a full investigation, resulting in a warrant for Beam's arrest. The district added that the child was not harmed.
Since news broke of the educator's case, parents whom ABC13 spoke to characterized the alleged acts as "sick," "terrible," and unsympathetic.
Beam has had support, though, from past students, who left messages of encouragement on her home.
SEE MORE: Cy-Fair ISD students rally around teacher accused of putting son in trunk
Beam was arrested this past weekend and released on $1,500 bond.
Following Thursday's hearing, prosecutors did not comment on their next moves in the case. Beam's attorney Nathaniel Pitoniak, who stood with Beam in court, said they are happy about the judge's decision.
