A child informed the authorities that a woman used a paddle labeled the “attitude adjuster” to hit him and also kicked him in a sensitive area. Courtney Crites, aged 32, was taken into custody following allegations from one of five children claiming that the woman had caused bruises on his back, shoulder, and chest. The incident was reported as a potential case of child abuse to the West Virginia police on January 1. The child mentioned various forms of mistreatment, including being left outside in cold weather and subjected to physical and verbal abuse.
Law enforcement officers conducted interviews with all five children residing in the household where the mother lived with her partner. The children’s responses were documented by a child advocacy center, recorded, and shared with the police for investigation purposes.
Subsequently, Crites was arrested on a Friday and charged with three felony counts of child abuse. According to reports from Law & Crime, police records indicated that the boy disclosed instances where Crites had kicked, hit, and yelled at him. The child claimed that Crites would use a wooden paddle she referred to as the “attitude adjuster” to discipline him when he did not put away his clothes properly. Additionally, he stated that she forced him outside in freezing temperatures before striking him with the paddle until it broke.
Describing the paddle as two by four inches and approximately two feet long, the child expressed fear when the paddle broke during a disciplinary incident. The injuries sustained by the boy, including bruises on his shoulder, chest, and back, were said to have persisted for several months. The boy also mentioned that Crites would kick him when she was angry.
The exact relationship between Crites and the boy was not disclosed by the authorities. Crites, currently detained at Tygart Valley Regional Jail in West Virginia, is being held on a $100,000 bond.
In a separate case, a mother admitted to killing her seven-year-old son after he had expressed concerns to family members about his safety. Despite the child’s warnings and involvement of social services, Nathaniel Burton tragically lost his life in 2021 due to suffocation by his mother, Sarah Safranek. Safranek initially pleaded guilty to the crime in 2024 but retracted the plea. She later pleaded guilty in 2025 and received a 35-year prison sentence.