Woman found guilty of gross child neglect resulting in risk of serious bodily injury

Greg Jordan, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, W.Va.
·2 min read
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Dec. 22—PRINCETON — A Mercer County jury found a Virginia woman guilty Wednesday of gross child neglect resulting risk of serious bodily injury for allowing a male juvenile, who was later moved to adult status, to have access to a juvenile girl after being repeatedly told that he wished to have sex with her.

Amanda D. Banes, 41, of Max Meadows, Va. was tried before Circuit Court Judge Mark Wills. The case began on Thanksgiving 2019 after the West Virginia State Police received a report about a juvenile female being sexually assaulted at a Princeton-area motel.

The suspect, David Hall, was first charged as a juvenile, but his case was later moved to adult status, according to Assistant Prosecuting Attorney David Pfeifer. In the summer of 2020, Hall pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault. He is currently serving his sentence at the Mt. Olive Correctional Complex.

Second-degree sexual assault has a sentence of 10 to 25 years in prison, according to the West Virginia State Code.

The prosecution, conducted by Pfeifer and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Lauren Lynch, told the jury that Banes had allowed the juvenile to be with White after being told several times that he had asked her for sex.

Attorney John Byrd, who represented Banes, said the juvenile's testimony and statements she made during a forensic interview conducted by Child Protect of Mercer County were inconsistent. Byrd told the jury there was no evidence that Banes had "grossly hurt or neglected the girl."

"David is the one who committed the crime," Byrd told the jury in his closing argument. "He's in prison for what he did to that poor child. My heart goes out to her and everybody's heart goes out to her. Ms. Banes did everything she could to stop what happened."

In a rebuttal from the prosecution, Lynch said Banes had taken the juvenile to a hotel where she knew Hall would be staying.

Banes is being held without bond at the Southern Regional Jai. Sentencing was scheduled for March 2023.

The case was investigated by Trooper J.R. Tupper with the West Virginia State Police detachment in Princeton.

"The West Virginia State Police and assistant prosecutors David Pfeifer and Lauren Lynch worked very hard on this case and they all did an outstanding job," said Prosecuting Attorney Brian Cochran. "We take these cases very seriously and also are very thankful of Child Protect of Mercer County and Child Law Services for all of their support and assistance in bringing this to a successful conclusion. We appreciate the jury's consideration and understanding of all of the facts involved in this trial."

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com