Amber Gunnoe & Evan Meadows Charged With Neglect & Abuse After Babys Arm & Leg Busted

[Whisper]

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. — A woman and her boyfriend were arraigned Thursday on charges of abusing and neglecting her 16-month old son, who was found with a fractured bone in his leg and a broken bone in his forearm, according to Berkeley County Magistrate Court records.
Amber Renee Gunnoe, 22, was charged with one count of child neglect by parent and Evan Michael Meadows, 22, was charged with child abuse by guardian, according to court records.
[...]
Gunnoe’s current residence is 6186 Martinsburg Pike, Shepherdstown, W.Va., according to bail agreement papers she signed Thursday during her arraignment.
The allegations were referred to state police April 26 by the state Department of Health and Human Resources child protective services, according to court records.
Gunnoe told police in a statement May 4 that on March 21 she took her daughter shopping in Hagerstown and left her son at home with Meadows, according to court records.
Meadows, according to Gunnoe, called her later that day and told her that the boy had fallen earlier and was limping on his leg, according to court records.
When she returned home, Gunnoe said Meadows told her the boy had fallen while playing outside, according to court records.
Gunnoe said she gave the child Motrin and put ice on his leg and rocked him to sleep that evening, according to court records.
Noticing the child was still in pain the next day, Gunnoe took the boy to Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Ranson, W.Va., then to the McCormack Center on City Hospital’s campus in Martinsburg on March 23, according to court records.
An X-ray of the child’s leg was ordered by a physician March 23, but it wasn’t done until March 30, according to court records.
Aftr viewing the X-ray results, the attending physician determined April 1 that a full skeletal scan needed to be completed, according to court records. The scan wasn’t done until the child’s grandmother was notified April 20 by the Department of Health and Human Resources that the doctor’s orders were not carried out, records show. The skeletal scan revealed that the child had a broken radius in his left forearm, which appeared to be three to four weeks old and had started to heal, according to court records.
When asked by police why the scan was not completed, Gunnoe told police that “drugs were her priority at the time” and that she was trying to cure herself of addiction, according to Edwards’ complaint.
Gunnoe told police she never saw Meadows physically abuse the children, but indicated he grabbed them “in a harsh manner” on one occasion and had yelled at them in the past and had a temper problem, according to court records.

http://www.herald-mail.com/?cmd=disp...60&format=html

[Tundratot]

Not much to say, I guess. She did take the child to a doctor when it became clear to her he needed medical care. I'm not sure what's going on with the x-rays and bone scans. Weren't these available in the hospital where she took him. I would have thought that, once ordered by the doctor, the boy would have been sent to radiology to get the thing done. Mom doesn't sound like she was hiding anything, including her own drug use. So, maybe with some help from CPS, this is one case where the system will work out? (I'm assuming, of course, that she'll boot Meadows and CPS will insist on it.)

[Dakota Valkyrie]

A former Berkeley County woman was sentenced to five years of supervised probation and a suspended one- to three-year prison sentence Thursday after pleading guilty to felony child neglect resulting in bodily injury.

Amber R. Gunnoe, 23, who was indicted by a Berkeley County grand jury in February, was accused of failing to seek immediate medical attention for her 16-month-old son, who suffered a fractured leg and a broken bone in his arm on March 21, 2010, at Gunnoe's former residence in Berkeley County.

The child suffered the broken leg while under the care of Gunnoe's former boyfriend, 23-year-old Evan Michael Meadows, of Martinsburg, and it took Gunnoe about one week to take the child in for an X-ray. Gunnoe also waited three to four weeks before having a full skeletal scan performed on the child, despite being told to by a doctor.

"I left my son in the care of my ex-boyfriend. At the time I did have a drug addiction," Gunnoe told the court prior to sentencing. "I did know the child was injured. I didn't know that it was from abuse. ... I did taken him to the hospital the day after, but for the full skeletal I was late for that."

Meadows pleaded guilty Jan. 3 to one count of child abuse resulting in injury. He was sentenced to one to five years in prison, but the sentence was suspended in favor of five years of probation as part of a plea agreement.
[...]

Gunnoe also was ordered to register as a child abuser with the state's child abuse registry for 10 years.

A conviction for child neglect resulting in bodily injury carries maximum potential sentence of one to three years in prison, or up to a year in jail at the court's discretion.

During Thursday's hearing, Groh asked Jones how a sentence of time already served instead of probation would be beneficial to anyone other than Gunnoe, who had been incarcerated for about two months since her indictment.

"I think she's demonstrated she is not a good candidate for probation," Jones said.

Gunnoe previously failed two separate drug tests in October 2010, testing positive for opiates, which resulted in a previous plea agreement being rejected by the court. She was placed on pre-trial supervised release, but failed to show up for several meetings with her probation officer and later went missing.

Jones said Gunnoe was missing for about four months, vanishing sometime in January before turning up again in April. While she was missing, she failed to appear for her arraignment on the child neglect charge following her indictment in February.

"She's a heroin addict. ... If she wants to kill herself then that's up to her," Jones said. "The only purpose of probation would be to save her life."

Her attorney, Stephanie Scales-Sherrin, told the court that she tended to agree that if Gunnoe were sentenced to a long period of probation, she might be at risk for a future violation. However, she noted that Gunnoe is now sober because of her incarceration and, upon release, she would be living with her new fiance, who she said lives a sober lifestyle and wouldn't allow Gunnoe to relapse.
[...]

She also said that Gunnoe already has had two children, and she could have more children in the future. Due to the court's concerns, Groh decided to sentence Gunnoe to prison, but suspended the sentence in favor of probation.

By sentencing Gunnoe to probation, Groh said she wanted to ensure there was a measures in place to deter Gunnoe from committing any future crimes and to ensure there was a safeguard in place if she does have additional children.

"You need to shake these demons," Groh said.

http://www.journal-news.net/page/con...hild-n---.html

[Tundratot]

Okay, I'm a bit confused. She was an addict when her baby was broken by the bf. Then, she went to jail for 2 months, was released and failed to keep up on court dates and probation visits, even going so far as to disappear for at least 4 months. Since some of these court dates were in relation to her child, I think she should plainly lose custody of them.

Also, how is she sober now? From being incarcerated again after turning up in April? If so, she's not very f***ing sober. She's only sober because the opportunity was taken from her. She'll fall off that wagon right away.

She claims her "fiance" is sober and would keep her sober? How so? He was with her while she was missing, and still an addict. I wouldn't be relying on him at all.

What is to keep her on the right track with her probation officer this time? Will they send out marshals if she fails to report this time?

[Dakota Valkyrie]

And she continues on the same track... now her probation has been revoked... sort of.

A woman arrested for failing to register with the state's child abuse registry a month after pleading guilty to felony child neglect resulting in bodily injury saw her sentence of probation revoked by a judge Thursday.

However, a deal could see her earn a second chance at probation if she completes a drug rehabilitation program in Beckley.

Amber R. Gunnoe, 23, chose not to contest allegations contained in a petition filed by the court's probation department requesting her probation be revoked during a hearing Thursday before West Virginia 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge Gina Groh.

Besides the facts involved in her arrest a month after sentencing, Gunnoe also admitted to using cocaine, drinking and possessing heroin during her short stint on probation.

Gunnoe's attorney, Stephanie Scales-Sherrin, and Berkeley County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Gregory K. Jones worked out a deal to reinstate Gunnoe's probation with the condition that she complete an intensive substance-abuse rehabilitation program called MOTHER, or Maternal Options Toward a Healthy Environment. Gunnoe will remain incarcerated at Eastern Regional Jail until a bed opens at the rehabilitation facility.

"That's the break. You are lucky that Mr. Jones agreed to it today," Groh said, adding that the prosecutor and the court aren't usually so generous.

Groh warned Gunnoe that if she fails to complete the program, she will be forced to serve the original one- to three-year prison sentence that was suspended in favor of placing her on probation.
[...]

Gunnoe originally was sentenced June 9 to one to three years in prison by Groh after she pleaded guilty to the child neglect charge, but the sentence was suspended for five years of probation. She also was ordered to register with the state's child abuse and neglect registry for 10 years and to adhere to all registration requirements.

A little over a month later, Berkeley County Probation Officer Carolyn A. Williams filed a petition requesting that Gunnoe's probation be revoked for violating the conditions. On July 14, Williams visited Gunnoe's home but found that the woman had moved four days prior without notifying authorities, according to court records.

Gunnoe was arrested a day later on a warrant charging her with failing to register with the child abuse and neglect registry. She pleaded guilty last month to the misdemeanor charge and was sentenced to time already served.

On July 18, Eastern Regional Jail staff members informed Williams that they had confiscated letters between Gunnoe and a convicted felon incarcerated at the jail, records show.

That was considered another violation of Gunnoe's probation, as she was ordered not to associate with any known felons. Gunnoe also has admitted to using cocaine and alcohol while on probation.

Additionally, a clear baggie containing two pieces of a straw and two small yellowish chunks of an opiate-based substance was found on July 18 within Gunnoe's personal items.

When asked Thursday what the substance was, Gunnoe told the court it was heroin.

http://www.journal-news.net/page/con...-negle---.html

[Tundratot]

No big surprise there.

I wonder how all these POS seem to follow the same playbook? Is it published somewhere or do they just operate by word of mouth? Skip probation meetings; move without notifying probation officer; continue to do drugs and drink alcohol; habituate with known felons (at least she apparently skipped this step); fail to register as violent offender, sexual predator, abusive parent, whatever . . . .

Her chances of wasting the taxpayers' money in rehab are very high.

[MC30]

i am normally not one to say this, and it hurts my head even thinking about it..but..
i bet she is getting off so lightly 'cause she's cute. really. i can only imagine if she was a little more beat up looking and missing some teeth, she would have gotten a much harsher sentence.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

i am normally not one to say this, and it hurts my head even thinking about it..but..
i bet she is getting off so lightly 'cause she's cute. really. i can only imagine if she was a little more beat up looking and missing some teeth, she would have gotten a much harsher sentence.

You may be on to something! Every time I look at her picture I'm reminded of a young Farrah Faucett.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

-A woman arrested for failing to register with the state's child abuse registry a month after pleading guilty to felony child neglect last year now faces indictment after she was arrested last week for allegedly failing to update her registry information after disappearing from a substance abuse treatment program in Beckley.

A warrant was issued Feb. 8 charging 24-year-old Amber R. Gunnoe, of no fixed address, with the felony offense of failure to register or provide notice of registration changes second offense, and she was taken into custody.
[...]

A new petition, alleging Gunnoe absconded from the program, for a revocation of probation was filed last week after the new warrant was issued for her arrest. A letter written by a Mother Program therapist informed authorities that Gunnoe decided to leave the program on Dec. 24, 2011. Gunnoe's whereabouts remained unknown until Jan. 26.

West Virginia State Trooper F.H. Edwards was then contacted by the Berkeley County Probation Office about Gunnoe. Edwards was told that Gunnoe recently withdrew herself from the Mother Program and was arrested in Ohio. After receiving the information, Edwards then viewed Gunnoe's current registry information. Edwards learned that upon Gunnoe's release from the Eastern Regional Jail on Sept. 23, 2011 to attend the Mother Program, she had failed to update her registry information within the required three-day period. Edwards was the same officer who arrested Gunnoe last July after her first offense for failing to update her registry information. Gunnoe later pleaded guilty to that offense.

If convicted of the second felony offense, for which she now faces indictment, she faces one to five years in prison. If her probation is revoked, she could also be required to serve the one- to three-year prison sentence that was originally suspended for her conviction for child neglect resulting in bodily injury.

http://www.journal-news.net/page/con...-faili---.html

[Tundratot]

Freakin' idiot!

[Dakota Valkyrie]

A woman arrested twice for failing to register with the state's child abuse registry within a year of pleading guilty to felony child neglect was sentenced to prison Wednesday after a judge revoked her probation.

Amber R. Gunnoe, 24, of no fixed address, was ordered by West Virginia 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge John Yoder to serve the underlying one- to three-year prison sentence, which was originally suspended for five years of probation after Gunnoe pleaded guilty June 9 in Berkeley County Circuit Court to felony child neglect causing bodily injury.
[...]

Gunnoe also was sentenced Wednesday to an additional one to five years in prison by Yoder after she pleaded guilty by way of an information to one count of failure to register with the child abuse registry second offense, Berkeley County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Richard Stephens said.
[...]

http://www.journal-news.net/page/con...sentenced.html

[Tundratot]

YES!!!!!!