Warren woman charged after taking a car ride from girl, 11

Staff report

WARREN

An Elm Road woman pleaded not guilty Monday to five charges after police found her riding in a car with an 11-year-old girl driving.

Brandy Cross, 19, is charged with child endangering, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, criminal damaging, criminal trespass and permitting operation of a motor vehicle without a license.

Bond of $1,500 was set in the Saturday night incident on Parkman Road Northwest.

A police officer made a traffic stop on the car after seeing it repeatedly flashing its bright lights at the cruiser at 7:41 p.m.

After the traffic stop, the officer saw Cross jump out of the back seat. The girl, who was not Cross’ daughter, was in the driver’s seat.

Cross said she wasn’t driving because she has no driver’s license and thought it was OK for the child to drive.

Cross said the car belonged to a man she knew and wasn’t stolen, but police could not locate the registered owner.

Cross was charged with criminal trespass because she admitted to violating an order to stay off Trumbull Metropolitan Housing Authority property, police said.

Officers released the child to her mother but told the mother the child had been cited for driving without a license.