Crites

BELINGTON – A Barbour County woman is facing three abuse charges after allegedly striking a juvenile with a paddle she called “the attitude adjuster,” breaking the paddle in the process.

Courtney Elizabeth Crites, 32, is charged with three counts of child abuse resulting in injury, a felony. She is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $100,000 property/surety bond.

According to the criminal complaint, filed by Trooper First Class B. S. Stout with the West Virginia State Police, on Jan. 1, Stout was advised of a possible child abuse case and filed a referral with Child Protective Services.

On Jan. 5, Stout made contact with the Child Advocacy Center in Harrison County and scheduled interviews for the minor children involved in the case, the complaint states. On Jan. 9, Stout reviewed most of the video footage from the interviews and allegedly observed one child had stated that Crites had “kicked (them), hit (them) and screamed at (them).”

The child allegedly told the Child Advocacy Center that Crites had “kicked (them) in the privates once,” the complaint states. The child also allegedly stated that, if they did not put their clothes away “the right way,” Crites would use a paddle called “the attitude adjuster.”

The paddle was described by the child with their hands, depicting an “approximately size of a two inch by four inch board that was approximately two feet in length,” the complaint states.

During the interview, the child allegedly stated that, one time, Crites had “pushed (them) outside in the freezing cold,” the complaint states. When the child was eventually allowed back inside, Crites allegedly struck them with the paddle, “breaking it” in the process.

Stout writes that the child allegedly described their injuries as bruises on their shoulders, chest and back. The bruises lasted for “a couple months,” according to the child. The child also allegedly said that, when Crites would get mad, she’d walk past them and kick them.

The child allegedly told the Child Advocacy Center that they were “scared to death” at the possibility of having to go back to live with Crites, the complaint states.