Copperas Cove woman charged after granddaughter alleges brutal assault, choking

Copperas Cove police arrested Hope Michele Hendricks on an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon warrant after her granddaughter went to the police station and accused the 59-year-old guardian of a violent attack in Coryell County. The city’s April 20 daily bulletin lists Hendricks, of the 400 block of Wild Plum Drive, as arrested on the warrant.

The arrest affidavit says the assault happened April 10 after the girl returned home very late the night before and Hendricks learned about it. The granddaughter told officers she was asleep in the top bunk of a set of bunk beds when the attack began. The affidavit says Hendricks allegedly emptied a glass jar filled with water and struck the child over the head several times, then slammed her head against the hardwood floor several times.

Police also say Hendricks placed a foot on the girl’s throat, cutting off her air and causing her to nearly pass out. The affidavit says the child was beaten on her legs and forearms with a bamboo stick, leaving multiple abrasions and bruises. Discharge papers from a hospital visit with the girl’s boyfriend reportedly noted a possible jaw contusion.

The warrant charges Hendricks with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony allegation that centers on the claim that the glass jar was used in a way that could cause serious bodily injury. If child-protection proceedings are opened, they would be handled in the Centex Child Protection Court North, which serves Coryell and McLennan counties. In this case, the granddaughter brought the allegation directly to Copperas Cove police, and the arrest followed on the local warrant record.