BELINGTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia woman is accused of hitting a child with a wooden paddle she allegedly called “the attitude adjuster,” authorities said.
According to the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation online website, Courtney Elizabeth Crites, 32, of Belington, was arrested on Jan. 9.
She was charged with three counts of child abuse by parent, guardian, custodian, or person in position of trust causing bodily injury, according to online court records.
According to court documents, five minor children were interviewed by West Virginia’s Child Advocacy Center in Barbour County.
One child allegedly told authorities that on Jan. 1, Crites kicked him, struck him and yelled at him, court documents state.
The boy claimed that Crites also kicked him “in the privates once” about two months ago. He added that when he did not “do his clothes away the right way,” Crites would use a paddle she nicknamed “the attitude adjuster.”
Court documents also stated that Crites pushed the boy outside in cold weather before allowing him back inside the residence. She allegedly struck him with the paddle, causing the implement to break.
It was unclear what the relationship was between Crites and the boy. Police did not reveal the boy’s age.
Crites was later arrested by troopers from the West Virginia State Police.
According to online correction records, Crites remains in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail. Her bond was set at $100,000.