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Man sentenced for child abuse
WELLSBURG -- A Weirton man has been sentenced to four to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of child abuse causing serious injury.
Lamont Sherrell, 70, of Weirton received the sentence Tuesday through a plea agreement reached by his attorney, Sean Logue; and Brooke County Prosecutor Joseph Barki III.
Per order of 1st Judicial Circuit Court Judge Ronald Wilson, the sentence will be served concurrently with the 1-to-15-year sentence currently being served by Sherrell for a charge of possession of cocaine with intent to deliver.
Barki confirmed charges of strangulation and domestic battery were dismissed through the agreement, which prevented the victim, who is still a minor, from being required to testify in court.
Barki called the victim, who is Sherrell's child, a hero for running away from home and to a local law enforcement agency to bring an end to his abuse. He said the child's mother was deceased and the child was being kept at home on the pretense of being home-schooled.
According to the Brooke County grand jury indictment against Sherrell, he struck the child in the face with a hammer, injuring an eye; attempted to strangle him and hit his hands with a long-handled brush with metal bristles between May 23, 2021, and March 1, 2022.
"He's in a nice, loving environment now," said Barki.