An Iowa woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to hate crime charges after she struck two children with an SUV in 2019 “because of their race and national origin,” according to the Department of Justice.

Nicole Franklin, 42, in December 2019 drove over a curb and accelerated her Jeep Grand Cherokee toward a pair of children of “Middle Eastern or African descent,” the Department of Justice wrote. Franklin struck one of the children, leaving them with cuts and bruising, and fled the scene.

About 30 minutes later, the 42-year-old witnessed another potential victim, who she believed to be Mexican, and again drove her vehicle over a sidewalk and barreled over the child. She left the second injured party with a concussion and lacerations.

The ages and gender of the children were not disclosed by the Justice Department, but Franklin is said to have hit a 12-year-old black boy and a 14-year-old Mexican teenager, according to CNN. The teenager was struck near Indian Hills Junior High School in Clive, Iowa.

Franklin was expected to also plead guilty to two counts of attempted murder Wednesday, and her charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison for each offense in addition to a $250,000 fine.

“Nicole Poole Franklin attempted to kill two children because she thought they came from another country,” said principal deputy assistant Attorney General Pamela Karlan of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. “All people in the United States, regardless where they come from, have the right to be free from fear of violence because of who they are. The Justice Department will continue to protect the civil rights of all individuals and prosecute hate crimes, as we have done in this case.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Franklin will be sentenced Aug. 19, and the FBI aided in the investigation into the string of incidents.

Original Location: Woman pleads guilty to hate crime charges after ramming children with her car