A woman in the United States has been arrested on multiple felony child abuse charges after a young boy gave police a harrowing account of being beaten with a paddle she called the 'attitude adjuster' and kicked in the privates.
Boy's Harrowing Allegations to Police
Police in West Virginia said they were alerted to a possible child abuse case on January 1. Authorities subsequently interviewed five children at a home shared by the suspect, Courtney Crites, 32, and her boyfriend. The interviews, conducted by a child advocacy centre, were recorded and provided to officers.
One boy told investigators that Crites had 'kicked him, hit him, and screamed at him'. He specifically alleged that approximately two months prior, she had kicked him in the privates. The child claimed the abuse escalated over minor infractions, such as not putting his clothes away correctly, which would prompt Crites to strike him with a wooden paddle she referred to as the 'attitude adjuster'.
The 'Attitude Adjuster' and Freezing Punishment
According to police documents, the boy described the paddle as being two by four inches and around two feet long. He alleged one incident where Crites 'pushed him outside in the freezing cold', only letting him back inside before hitting him with the paddle with such force that it broke. The child said he was 'scared to death' when the paddle broke from the impact.
The juvenile described sustaining bruises on his shoulder, chest, and back from the beatings, which he said lasted for 'a couple of months'. He further stated that Crites would often walk past him and kick him when she was angry.
Arrest and Custody
Based on the evidence gathered, police arrested Courtney Crites on Friday, January 13, 2026. She was charged with three felony counts of child abuse. Following her arrest, she was taken to the Tygart Valley Regional Jail in West Virginia. Her bond has been set at $100,000.
Police have not publicly detailed the relationship between Crites and the boy who made the allegations. The investigation involved multiple children residing at the property.
This case emerges in a grim context of child safeguarding failures. In a separate but related note, the report references the recent sentencing of a mother, Sarah Safranek, to 35 years in prison in November 2025 for killing her seven-year-old son, Nathaniel Burton, in February 2021. That case involved repeated warnings from the child and visits from social services prior to the tragic outcome.
