Copperas Cove woman arrested after granddaughter reports severe abuse

Copperas Cove police arrested 59-year-old Hope Michele Hendricks after her granddaughter walked into the police station and reported severe abuse, turning a family violence case into a felony warrant tied to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Investigators say the teen told officers the abuse happened on April 10, after she came home very late the night before and Hendricks apparently learned about it. In the arrest affidavit, the victim said she was asleep in the top bunk when Hendricks emptied a glass jar filled with water and struck her several times, slammed her head against the hardwood floor, put a foot on her throat until she nearly passed out, and beat her legs and forearms with a bamboo stick.

The affidavit also says the victim was later taken to a hospital by her boyfriend and discharged with signs that included a possible jaw contusion, abrasions and bruises. Police obtained a warrant for Hendricks on the aggravated assault charge, and the city’s April 20 daily bulletin listed “HENDRICKS, HOPE MICHELE” as arrested on an arrest warrant for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon at the 400 block of Wild Plum Drive. Copperas Cove police say the daily blotter is preliminary and subject to change as investigations continue.

Under Texas Penal Code Section 22.02, aggravated assault can involve serious bodily injury or the use or exhibition of a deadly weapon. That legal threshold matters in cases like this because the objects described in the affidavit, including the jar and bamboo stick, can factor into how prosecutors and investigators evaluate the allegations. The case also underscores how quickly a report from a child can move from a police station interview to a warrant when officers believe the facts support a felony charge.

The broader child-protection response in Texas is built around immediate reporting and caregiver scrutiny. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services says it is the agency to contact when suspected abuse or neglect involves a person responsible for the care, custody or welfare of a child, or someone living in the home, and Child Protective Services investigates those allegations. Texas law also requires a person with reasonable cause to believe a child has been abused or neglected to report it immediately through the Texas Abuse Hotline. In Copperas Cove, a city of 36,670 in the 2020 census, and across Coryell County, which had 83,093 residents, the case is a stark reminder of how local law enforcement, medical documentation and child-welfare reporting can intersect when a child seeks help directly.