| WOMAN BRANDISHES KNIFE - A woman has been charged after brandishing a knife during an altercation at an apartment complex in Preston County, deputies said.
On October 25, deputies with the Preston County Sheriffâs Department responded to a report of a fight that had broken out at the Shaffer Street Apartment Complex in Terra Alta, according to a criminal complaint.
While en route to the scene, deputies were informed that there was a knife involved, and upon arriving at the scene, deputies spoke with the victim and multiple witnesses to the incident, deputies said.
From those statements, deputies learned that the victim and Kristina Messersmith, 27, of Terra Alta, had gotten into a verbal altercation during which Messersmith âbrandished a knife and started towards the victim,â according to the complaint.
The victim managed to push Messersmith out of the front door of the apartments and knocked the knife out of Messersmithâs hand deputies said.
After that, Messersmith attempted to pick up the knife, but one of the witnesses on the scene managed to secure it, according to the complaint.
During the altercation, the victim sustained multiple injuries including several cuts and abrasions, bite marks, as well as a deep laceration to one of her fingers deputies explained.
Messersmith has been charged with malicious assault. She is being held in Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $10,000 bond.
WOMAN ARRESTED WITH GUN, DRUGS AND CHILD - A Huntington woman passed out in a vehicle which was not hers has been charged in Preston County after deputies found a 1-year-old boy in her vehicle with drugs and a weapon within reach of the child, deputies said.
On Oct. 24, deputies with the Preston County Sheriffâs Department responded to a call of a woman âfound passed out, and unresponsiveâ in a vehicle owned by Valley Point Feed Supply in Valley Point, according to a criminal complaint.
Not far from where the woman, identified as Laura Young, 36, of Huntington, was a 2019 Subaru Outback registered in her name, and inside of the Subaru was a 1-year-old male child who was left unsupervised while the vehicle was left running with its windows up, deputies said.
Inside the same vehicle as the child, deputies noticed a âstrong odor of marijuana,â and found a .357 magnum in front of the 1-year-old âunsecured and positioned in the driver side door compartment,â according to the complaint.
Deputies also found marijuana âwithin the car unsecured,â as well as 29 empty and several unopened âFireBall alcoholic beverage containers,â in the car within reach of the 1-year-old boy, deputies said; also in reach of the child were prescription medications.
After giving Young a preliminary breath test, which she failed, Young refused secondary chemical testing, according to the complaint.
Young has been charged with child neglect creating risk of injury. She is being held in Tygart Valley Regional Jail on $25,000 bond.
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