West Virginia woman charged after daughter leaves home in handcuffs and seeks neighbor’s help

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia woman was arrested Monday after her handcuffed daughter sought help from a neighbor, police said.

Officers in Charleston located the girl on the neighbor’s porch, Lt. Tony Hazelett said in a news release.

The woman was charged with child abuse and unlawful restraint. She was being held on $10,000 bond in the Southcentral Regional Jail. Jail records didn’t indicate whether the woman has an attorney who could comment on the charges on her behalf.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court, the woman told police that she handcuffed her child on Sunday night because the girl was making a mess, “stealing” and hiding food, and attempting to leave without permission. Officers who responded to the home described it as “extremely messy.”

The police statement did not disclose the girl’s age. The woman said at her arraignment that she had four children living with her ranging in age from 3 to 16, WCHS-TV reported.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Oct. 2.