WOOD COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Authorities responded to a welfare check on Pond Creek Road after Wood County Schools reported that no one was available to pick up a child from the school bus. Upon arrival, officers discovered two adults unresponsive inside the home and three young children present, including a one-year-old and a three-year-old left unattended.
A three-year-old male opened the door for the responding officer, who then observed Natasha Black, 34, unconscious on the couch. A 13-year-old female, who had been staying at her grandparents’ house, arrived and retrieved a one-year-old male from a back bedroom. The officer also found Steven Black, 36, unresponsive in a recliner, with a butane torch nearby, a tool commonly associated with methamphetamine use.
Efforts to wake the adults—including loud verbal commands, physical shaking, and sternum rubs—were unsuccessful until EMS arrived nearly an hour later. After regaining consciousness, both admitted to using methamphetamine earlier in the day.
Further investigation revealed a glass meth pipe in plain view in Steven Black’s chair and a baggie of suspected marijuana within reach of the three-year-old. Given the circumstances, it was determined that the two youngest children had been left unattended with access to drugs and drug paraphernalia.
The children were taken next door to a family member for safety, and Child Protective Services (CPS) was notified. Both suspects were arrested and charged with child neglect.
