BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) — A Beckley woman faces domestic battery and child neglect charges after police say she attacked her boyfriend inside an apartment, then fled with a small child wearing only a diaper and onesie in 43-degree weather.
Skyla Godfrey was taken into custody following the October 19 incident. According to a police report, she faces charges of first-offense domestic battery, child neglect causing risk of serious injury and public intoxication.
Officers responded after a man called 911 reporting that a woman was attacking him and using objects as weapons. The caller also reported that she had left the apartment and run down the street.
When police arrived, Godfrey was no longer there. Her boyfriend told an officer the two had been arguing and that he had taken a walk in an effort to de-escalate the situation.
According to the report, the argument escalated again when he returned. He told police he closed an entrance door while Godfrey was outside, but she forced her way back into the apartment.
The man said he retreated to a bathroom while holding a juvenile. Godfrey allegedly forced her way into that room, picked up a candle and threw it, striking him in the back of the head.
The officer reported observing a small knot on the crown of the man’s head, along with a fresh cut approximately one inch long on the bridge of his nose.
The man told police he then moved toward a bedroom with the juvenile while Godfrey struck him several times in the face.
Once inside the bedroom, he called 911 as Godfrey attempted to force open the door, according to the report. He said she entered, overheard his conversation with dispatchers and fled.
The officer documented damage to the apartment’s entrance door near the deadbolt, along with signs of forced entry and multiple holes in the bathroom and bedroom doors.
According to the man’s account, both adults were holding juveniles during the incident.
While officers investigated, additional 911 callers reported seeing a woman running through the surrounding area carrying a small child.
Police eventually located Godfrey and the child on College Avenue. Officers also reviewed residential camera footage that they said showed her running with the child, who was dressed only in a diaper and onesie. The outdoor temperature was 43 degrees, according to the report.
Police administered a preliminary breath test to Godfrey, which registered 0.122.
Officers returned the child to the complainant and transported Godfrey to the Beckley Police Department for processing and fingerprinting.
The report does not describe any injuries to the juveniles. It states that a criminal-history check showed no prior domestic battery convictions for Godfrey.
The charges are allegations, and Godfrey is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
