Police: Children Say Mother Tried to Kill Them in Car Wreck

July 21, 2011— -- A North Carolina woman who was arrested Wednesday following a traffic collision that her daughters told police was intentional, today faces additional charges that include child abuse and the possession of a controlled substance.

Teresa Caffrey, 41, drove the car off the road into a water drain Wednesday, damaging the left side of her 1998 Ford Taurus. Her two daughters, ages 7 and 8, according to police, were in the vehicle.

In addition to being charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, Caffrey now faces two counts of child abuse, one count of careless and reckless driving, one count of failure to secure a child in a child seat and one count of possession of a controlled substance at a detention facility.

Her bond was upped by $10,500 today, for a total of $50,500.

"We were dispatched to a motor vehicle wreck [on Wednesday]. While en route to the scene, we received a call saying that witnesses were reporting that the children were saying 'Mama wrecked the car on purpose,'" said Sgt. William Vaughn of the Lincolnton Police Department, who was one of the officers on the scene.

"Once we arrived, the children conveyed that information to my officers. ... The children were saying she had been arguing with their father and that she was 'mad at daddy' and that's why she wrecked the car," he said.

The children were brought to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries that included cuts and bruises. They were released and have been placed by the Department of Social Services with an aunt and a grandmother, according to Vaughn.

Vaughn said that Caffrey is estranged from her husband, and that they currently live in separate households.

The Department of Social Services "checked on the children today, and they're doing fine," said Vaughn.

Vaughn said that police continue to investigate whether Caffrey was driving under the influence at the time.

Caffrey had a hearing this morning on the assault with a deadly weapon charge, and faces another on Friday on the new charges filed today.