Inset, left to right: Kenneth Neal Conley and Tamara Ann Conley (West Virginia South Regional Jail). Background: The Raleigh County, West Virginia, courthouse (Google Maps).
A 46-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman were arrested in West Virginia after authorities say they left their three young children home alone and unsupervised in an apartment filled with dangerous items for more than 12 hours, during which the kids allegedly got into a knife fight with each other and were exposed to some kind of dangerous chemical spray.
Kenneth Neal Conley and Tamara Ann Conley were taken into custody last week and charged with one count each of gross neglect of a child creating a substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death, which is a felony, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
The investigation into the couple began on Oct. 1, when officers with the Sophia Police Department responded to a request for a welfare check on the couple”s home in Sophia, which is about 60 miles southeast of Charleston, West Virginia.
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Upon arriving at the address, first responders said they found three young children — ages 8, 10, and 10 — who had been left unsupervised in the apartment for more than 12 hours, according to a report from Charleston ABC and Fox affiliate WCHS, citing to a criminal complaint filed in Raleigh County Magistrate Court on Oct. 2.
While alone in the apartment, the three young children reportedly “engaged in a fight involving knives,” per the complaint. The trio also allegedly fought using “chemical spray” and were reported to be in “possession of a firearm” that had been left in the home.
Inside the home, authorities also allegedly recovered drug paraphernalia and residue that tested positive for methamphetamine, both of which were said to be within reach of the juveniles.
“This neglect created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury and exposed the children to controlled substances,” authorities reportedly wrote in the complaint.
Police on Oct. 2 obtained a warrant for the parents’ arrests, and Kenneth Conley and Tamara Conley were both taken into custody on Oct. 8. They were processed and are currently being held in the Southern Regional Jail.
A magistrate judge set the bond for both parents at $10,000. They are currently scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge Timothy P. Deems on Thursday for their preliminary hearings.
