Woman charged with abuse and neglect after toddler suffers head injury

Police said in court documents that Krystal Lynn McLaughlin admitted to striking child with power cord

July 03, 2012

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A head injury to a 22-month-old girl last month led police to charge a 23-year-old woman with abuse and neglect, according to Berkeley County Magistrate Court records.

Krystal Lynn McLaughlin of no fixed address was arraigned Monday by Magistrate JoAnn Overington on two counts of child abuse resulting in injury, one count of child neglect creating risk of injury and one count of child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, according to court documents.

Police said in court documents that McLaughlin admitted to striking the girl’s buttocks area four times with a laptop computer power cord on June 18 while her husband was at work.

On June 19, West Virginia State Police were advised that the child was being treated for internal bleeding in her head at City Hospital, the documents said.

Police noticed the child also had a large red bruise on her upper forehead, a large black-and-blue mark on her right buttock and three red “lash” marks.

Police were told that the child’s parents told a physician that she fell off a couch, the documents said.

McLaughlin told police on June 20 that the child, whose name is Josie, likes to climb on household items, and the injuries could have occurred while climbing on them.

The physician told police that the child was “seizing” from the internal head hemorrhage when she arrived at the hospital, the documents said.

— Matthew Umstead

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