A child reported to the police that a woman used a paddle referred to as the “attitude adjuster” to hit him and kicked him in a sensitive area. Courtney Crites, 32, was taken into custody in West Virginia after one of the children in her care disclosed that she had left him with visible bruises on his back, shoulder, and chest. The child also mentioned experiencing other forms of mistreatment, such as being left outside in cold weather and subjected to physical and verbal abuse.

Law enforcement officials conducted interviews with five children residing in the same household as Crites and her boyfriend, with the assistance of a child advocacy center. Subsequently, Crites was arrested and charged with three felony counts of child abuse. According to police documents, the boy detailed instances where Crites used the paddle on him for not following instructions and also pushed him outside in freezing temperatures before striking him with the same implement.

The child described the paddle as a two-by-four-inch, two-feet-long object and expressed fear when it broke during one of the incidents. He reported sustaining bruises on his shoulder, chest, and back, which lasted for a prolonged period. Crites allegedly resorted to physical aggression when angered, including kicking the child.

The exact relationship between Crites and the boy was not disclosed by the authorities. Crites is currently held at Tygart Valley Regional Jail in West Virginia on a $100,000 bond. In a separate incident, a mother was sentenced to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing her seven-year-old son, despite the child’s prior warnings and interactions with social services.

This tragic case underscores the importance of vigilance in detecting and addressing potential instances of child abuse to prevent such devastating outcomes.