Child Neglect, Assault Charges in Brooke County | News, sports, work

WELLSBURG – A Follansbee couple pleaded guilty Tuesday to child neglect charges and a Wellsburg man was charged with threatening and holding another man against his will.

Elizabeth and Jordan Deavers, both 32, of Follansbee, pleaded guilty to child neglect creating a substantial risk of injury and were sentenced to two years of supervised probation, followed by 10 years of extended supervision pursuant to a plea agreement reached between their attorneys and Brooke County Prosecutor’s Office.

In accepting the plea agreements, First District Court Judge Ronald Wilson advised each to also pay the costs of prosecution and fulfill various probation conditions.

These conditions include mental health evaluations and any treatment recommended therein, registration on the state child abuse and neglect registry, prohibitions from being in places other than restaurants where alcohol is served, and possession of firearms.

Each faced a penalty of one to five years in prison and a fine of not less than $1,000 or more than $3,000, or both, for the offense.

According to the June 3 indictment against the Deavers, police found their residence “in deplorable conditions and without essential food, creating a significant risk of death or serious bodily injury” child in their care.

In another case, Justin D. Parks, 39, of Wellsburg, pleaded guilty to attempted malicious assault, a felony; and unlawful detention is a misdemeanor.

Pursuant to a settlement agreement reached by Sean Logue, Parks’ attorney; and Brooke County Prosecutor Joseph Barki, Parks was sentenced to one to three years in prison for the felony and one year in Northern Regional Jail for the misdemeanor.

He must also pay the costs of the proceedings within two years of his release.

The agreement allows Parks, after a year in prison, to apply to have his sentence changed to three years of supervised probation.

The judge noted that during this time he must undergo hospital treatment for drug abuse.

Logue said he and Barki “he worked long and hard for a fair agreement” for their client, with the key element being the possibility of addiction treatment.

Barki noted that Parks was arrested after the Brooke County Sheriff’s Office was called to investigate the suspected kidnapping of a local man on August 30, 2023.

The prosecutor said sheriff’s deputies called to Parks’ home were met by the victim at the door, who quietly asked them for help.

Barki said the man told them that Parks had threatened to harm him with a baseball bat and a firearm for failing to provide the man with items he was looking for, and used such threats to keep him at home overnight.

(Scott can be reached at [email protected].)

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