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Don’t Cry, Sheriff, She Said

Sometimes I worry about activities such as “Boo at the Zoo” at Oglebay Park and the annual Dungeon of Horrors at the old penitentiary in Moundsville. Too much for little children? Will ghoblins leaping out of the shadows scar them for life?

No. Even really small children seem to enjoy being “scared” at Halloween time. They sense it’s all make-believe, I suppose.

Too many little boys and girls understand there are monsters in the world, disguised as human beings — often as the very people the children believe they can trust.

Last week, I wrote about children taken from West Virginia homes because their parents were too intent on feeding their drug habits to be mothers and fathers. Many of these youngsters are lucky if neglect is the only way they’ve been victimized. Too often, mommies and daddies mean to harm their babies.

An aside to that: Many, perhaps even most, of those cases come to the authorities’ attention because of school teachers who wonder why Johnny’s face was bruised or why Sally hasn’t been to school for several days. God bless those educators and protectors of children!

On Friday, we published a story that was heartbreaking, infuriating and wonderful, all at the same time.

If you missed the article, it was about two Belmont County women charged with felony child abuse. A homeless woman had left her daughter with them while she searched for a place they could call home. That took about a month.

When the mother — with, you’ll be happy to learn, a new home — went to pick her child up, she saw the girl had bruises and burn marks all over her body. She went straight to the police, who arrested the women, 25 and 36 years of age, alleged to have hurt the child. Sheriff’s deputies found 17 grams of a substance they believed to be cocaine at the women’s house.

One of the more mild-mannered, slow-to-anger, women in our newsroom remarked that she’d like five minutes alone with the defendants.

Our reporter talked to Vince Gianangeli, director of the Belmont County Department of Job and Family Services. He said the child “is doing very well despite what she’s been through.”

Then he explained to us what a precious little angel she is.

It seems she heard about Sheriff Dave Lucas, who was so upset about the case that he cried during a press conference held to brief reporters.

“She met with me,” Gianangeli recalled, “and wanted to go to the sheriff’s office and tell him that she is doing OK and that he didn’t have to cry anymore.”

She’s 4 years old.

I told you there was a “wonderful” component to the story.

But how could anyone harm such a sweet little girl?

Gianangeli already has given her some toys and books. He advises anyone who wants to do the same can take the items to the Job and Family Services office at 68145 Hammond Road in St. Clairsville.

It’s a safe bet Gianangeli is in for a deluge of toys and books.

Enough for other children? I hope so — because there are many other little boys and girls similarly abused and/or neglected and who could use something to cheer them up.

Some of them are near you.

You may want to think about that as you begin shopping for Christmas.

Myer can be reached at: mmyer@theintelligencer.net.

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