A 25-year-old Texas woman is facing charges after authorities say she asked a 9-year-old girl to move a car, resulting in a crash that left the child injured, PEOPLE reported.
Bexar County court records show that Ladeja Pickett has been charged with injury to a child and endangering a child. Records do not indicate whether she has entered a plea, and no attorney is listed on her behalf.
The incident happened in San Antonio on Sunday, Nov. 9, just after 4 p.m. Deputies responding to the scene learned that Pickett had been decorating her yard for Christmas when she allegedly asked the young girl to help by moving a car out of the driveway, according to a statement shared with PEOPLE by the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators were told that Pickett is not the child’s mother. She also claimed the girl already knew where the keys were and
“retrieved them independently,”
the spokesperson said.
Moments later, the situation turned dangerous. The child
“lost control of the vehicle”
and
“jumped out before crashing into the neighbor’s truck,”
according to the sheriff’s office. She suffered a cut to her forehead and road rash on her leg. The girl’s mother told KSAT that her daughter is still hospitalized. She added that Pickett, who was considered a family friend,
“had no right to hand a minor keys.”
#Clique, what are your thoughts?