Child Neglect

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The trial for a woman charged with child neglect after her 2-year-old daughter was found shoeless and without a coat on a cold, wet Martinsburg street in October 2008 was postponed again on Monday. The trial for Lanish A. Bailey, 24, of Martinsburg, was not immediately rescheduled by presiding 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge Gray Silver III. He agreed to allow time for her defense attorney's expert to review a psychological evaluation report. A status hearing was scheduled by Silver for Aug. 16. The evaluation of Bailey was scheduled to done last month, but the report on the evaluation's findings was not made available until last week, according to her attorney Nicholas Colvin.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. --A woman charged with child neglect after her 2-year-old daughter was found shoeless and without a coat on a cold, wet Martinsburg street in October 2008 declined to accept a plea offer from the state, attorneys handling the case said Monday. The trial for Lanish A. Bailey, 24, of Martinsburg, was scheduled for Oct. 26 by presiding 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge Gray Silver III in a status hearing Monday. By entering a guilty plea to one felony count of child neglect, Bailey would have been allowed to avoid a jail sentence, according to her attorney, Nicholas Colvin.

A 45-year-old woman pleaded guilty Monday to two felony charges of gross child neglect for her alleged role in the starvation of two young children in 2010. Karen Sue Boback, who now lives in Hagerstown, was placed on probation for five years in lieu of what would have amounted to a two- to 10-year prison sentence, which was suspended by 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge Christopher C. Wilkes. Boback also was fined $1,000 and must register with the child abuse registry for 10 years.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - A Martinsburg woman was arrested this week on a child neglect charge after her 3-year-old son was found Aug. 30 in diapers near Eagle School Road, according to records in Berkeley County Magistrate Court. Ronda Lee Thomas, 24, of 1406-1 Lindsey Terrace, was charged with the felony on Aug. 30, but the arrest warrant wasn't issued until Sept. 15, according to court records. She was released Tuesday on a $3,000 bond, court records state. Neighbors heard the child crying and saw him standing by a trash bin and vehicle about 20 yards from the street around 6:20 a.m., court records state.

Father charged with child neglect By DAVE McMILLION / Staff Writer, Charles Town MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Police found a young child walking out the entrance of a mobile home park toward Grapevine Road Wednesday. When Cpl. Gary Harmison found the child, it was wearing dirty diapers and no other clothing, said Capt. Kenny Lemaster. The child either would not or could not talk, and Harmison did not know where the child's home was, Lemaster said. Harmison took the baby back to the Sheriff's Department in Martinsburg, Lemaster said.

A woman who is accused of risking injury to her 3-week-old child when police say she drove a car past railroad crossing gates and was struck by a train is due to appear in Berkeley County Magistrate Court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing. Katie Rose Stone, 21, of 154 Gail Drive in Martinsburg, is charged with one felony count of child neglect creating the risk of injury, according to court documents. Stone, her husband, Timothy R. Stone, and the infant were taken to City Hospital in Martinsburg after the Nissan Altima in which they were traveling was struck by a CSX train Aug. 6 at the Tavern Road railroad crossing, police have said.

A woman's no-contest plea to child neglect resulting in the December 2010 death of her 2-month-old son was accepted Monday by a judge in Berkeley County Circuit Court.  Jessica Skupnick, 24, is expected to be sentenced on the felony conviction after being evaluated at Lakin Correctional Center for 60 days.  While Skupnick faces a maximum of three to 15 years in prison, 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge Gray Silver III concluded that the diagnostic evaluation could be “very helpful” in determining a sentence.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - A Martinsburg woman charged with a felony count of child neglect after her 23-month-old boy was found shivering and poorly dressed outside in sub-freezing weather conditions in December entered a guilty plea to a misdemeanor count of contributing to the neglect of a child on Thursday. Wanda M. Murphy, 41, of 320 Twigg Drive, was placed on unsupervised probation for two years, Berkeley County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Saunders said. A 90-day jail sentence was suspended and Murphy was ordered to pay court costs, Saunders said.

A woman who pleaded no contest in September 2012 to child neglect resulting in the death of her 2-month-old son was sentenced Tuesday in Berkeley County Circuit Court to between three and 15 years in prison. Jessica Skupnick, 24, and her now-former boyfriend, Dominic Hall, were indicted in October 2011 on two felony counts of death of a child by a parent, custodian or guardian, and single counts of child neglect resulting in death, gross child neglect creating substantial risk of bodily injury, and conspiracy.

A circuit judge said Wednesday he needed more information before sentencing a woman who pleaded no contest in September 2012 to child neglect resulting in the death of her 2-month-old son, Jaxon. Twenty-third Judicial Circuit Judge Gray Silver III said he heard some things in Wednesday's sentencing hearing for Jessica Skupnick, 24, that prompted him to recess the proceeding until April 9 so the court could obtain the unspecified information. Wednesday's hearing lasted more than two hours and included testimony by Skupnick, who faces a maximum of three to 15 years in prison, and her paternal grandmother.

A man was charged with child neglect after police found him and his 8-year-old son living in a Martinsburg home littered with cat feces and overflowing litter boxes in October, according to Berkeley County Magistrate Court records. Joshua Craig Adams, 30, of 928 Lemir Drive, Martinsburg, was arraigned Monday night by Magistrate Joan V. Bragg on one felony count of child neglect, according to court documents. Martinsburg Police Patrol Officer William Staub found eight to 10 cats in the home at 409 S. Kentucky Ave. while attempting to find a suspect in a larceny case on Oct. 10, according to court documents.

The trial for two people charged in the New Year's Day death of a 3-year-old boy was reset for April 1, 2013, to give experts for the state time to evaluate one of the defendants and to review a file in an abuse and neglect proceeding. James N. Mauldin, 21, and Jasmine K. Dawkins, 23, were indicted in May on one count of death of a child by parent, guardian and/or custodian by child abuse, two counts of gross child neglect creating substantial risk of serious bodily injury and one count of presentation of false information regarding a child's injuries in the death of Kaiwon Connelly.

A woman who police say drove a car past railroad crossing gates and was struck by a train in August pleaded guilty Tuesday to two misdemeanor charges in Berkeley County Magistrate Court. Katie Rose Stone of 154 Gall Drive, Martinsburg, pleaded guilty to reckless driving and contributing to the neglect of a child as part of a plea agreement. One felony count of child neglect creating the risk of injury was dismissed as part of the agreement, according to Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Quasebarth.

A woman who is accused of risking injury to her 3-week-old child when police say she drove a car past railroad crossing gates and was struck by a train is due to appear in Berkeley County Magistrate Court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing. Katie Rose Stone, 21, of 154 Gail Drive in Martinsburg, is charged with one felony count of child neglect creating the risk of injury, according to court documents. Stone, her husband, Timothy R. Stone, and the infant were taken to City Hospital in Martinsburg after the Nissan Altima in which they were traveling was struck by a CSX train Aug. 6 at the Tavern Road railroad crossing, police have said.

A Martinsburg man was sentenced Monday to four to 20 years in prison for starving his young children in 2010 and forcing them to live in the unfinished basement of their home. Jesse Arlo Lafferty, 34, who pleaded guilty in April to two counts of child abuse causing serious bodily injury, also was fined $2,000 by 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge Christopher C. Wilkes.  Wilkes ordered Lafferty to register with the child-abuse registry for 10 years and instructed him not to have any direct or indirect contact with his children.

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.