Iowa woman charged in racially motivated hit-and-run attacks incompetent for trial: Court

DES MOINES, Iowa (WHO) -- The woman accused of intentionally hitting two juveniles with her SUV because of the color of their skin has been ruled incompetent to stand trial.

Court records show a judge ruled Tuesday that there's evidence 42-year-old Nicole Poole suffers from a mental disorder that prevents her from assisting in her own defense. The court also says she poses a danger to the public peace and safety and ordered Poole to undergo involuntary treatment in jail until her next hearing in April.

Poole is charged with two counts of attempted murder, plus assault, theft and drug charges.

She was first charged with attempted murder of a 14-year-old girl for an incident that happened in Clive on December 9. Police say Poole attempted to run the girl down with her vehicle as she walked near Indian Hills Junior High in Clive because she thought the teen was “a Mexican.”

About an hour prior to that crash, police say Poole tried to run over a 12-year-old boy in Des Moines. Police said the boy is African American. Poole faces another attempted murder charge in that case.