Woman Accused of Racially Motivated Hit-And-Run Ruled Incompetent for Trial

DES MOINES, Iowa - A Des Moines woman accused of running over two kids because of their race has been ruled incompetent to stand trial.

On Tuesday a judge ruled 42-year-old Nicole Poole suffers from a mental disorder and she can't assist in her own defense.

Poole's accused of hitting a 14-year-old girl with her car in Clive because she was Mexican. Police say she also tried to run over a 12-year-old boy in Des Moines because he was African American.

The boy received minor injuries after being struck, while the girl was hospitalized for several days from her injuries.

Poole faces two counts of attempted murder and a hate crime charge for the actions that all occurred within 90 minutes on December 9th. She's also accused of yelling racial slurs at a gas station worker that same day

Poole will undergo involuntary treatment in jail before her next hearing in April.

The judge had ordered a competency assessment for her Tuesday morning.


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