Woman accused of hauling children in her trunk pleads not guilty

A woman accused of driving with two 12-year-olds in the trunk of her car entered pleas of not guilty Monday to charges of child endangerment and drug possession.

Camille Marie Hancock, 37, appeared before 202nd District Judge John Tidwell for arraignment Monday afternoon with Clayton Haas of the Bowie County Public Defenders Office. Haas entered pleas of not guilty to two counts of child endangerment and a single count of possession of methamphetamine.

Haas told Tidwell that Hancock wants him to file a motion to reduce her existing bail and asked the judge to schedule a hearing to address the matter. Tidwell told Haas the court will schedule a bond reduction hearing for Hancock once a written motion seeking the lower bail is formally filed.

Hancock's bail on each of the endangerment charges is set at $100,000 and bail on the charge of possession of methamphetamine under one gram is set at $30,000, for a total bail of $230,000. That means Hancock could be required to pay a commercial bail bondsman $23,000 to be released on bond.

Hancock has been in custody since April 7 when she was stopped by a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper near the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and Farm to Market Road 2148. Hancock allegedly brought her passenger car to an illegal stop in the intersection before disregarding a red traffic light, according to a probable cause affidavit used to create the following account.

As Trooper Jonathon Baldwin approached the car, he allegedly saw Hancock "reaching in and out of her purse in a frantic motion." People in Hancock's car included a "young adult male front passenger, a young adult female passenger, an infant in a rear facing car seat not fastened by a seat belt, and a young female passenger with a toddler in her lap unsecured," the affidavit states.

Baldwin noted a strong odor of marijuana coming from the car. Hancock allegedly admitted to smoking moments earlier while the toddler and baby were also in the car.

"Hancock was extremely nervous and I observed her to demonstrate several tics and body tremors throughout the interview," the affidavit states.

Tics and body tremors are symptoms associated with methamphetamine abuse. Hancock was allegedly in possession of a useable amount of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

While Hancock was being placed under arrest on two outstanding warrants, she reportedly informed the trooper that two 12-year-old boys were in the trunk of her car. Baldwin immediately opened the trunk and the boys were found lying down.

"Hancock would later inform me she had traveled from Queen City, Texas, enroute to Texarkana with the boys laying down in the trunk of the car," the affidavit states. "Hancock stated she was giving a ride to the two adults and infant and had placed the two boys in the trunk for convenience."

Hancock allegedly admitted to having used meth and marijuana both before and during the drive, and she allegedly conceded that she was aware of the risk of injury or death to the boys created by allowing them to ride in the trunk of a car.

Court records show Hancock was arrested on warrants issued in connection with misdemeanor charges of driving while hrr license was invalid and failure to appear in court. Each of the endangering charges and the drug possession charge are felonies punishable by six months to two years in a state jail.

Tidwell scheduled Hancock to return to court August 27 for a pretrial hearing. Should Haas file a motion to reduce Hancock's bond, Hancock might be scheduled to appear in court sooner.

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