A Pocahontas County woman was arrested on the evening of Thursday, May 27 after allegedly breaking into multiple residences and attacking one family’s dog. Ina Belle Pennington, 47, of Marlinton, has been charged with public intoxication, entering without breaking, petit larceny, cruelty to animals and assaulting an officer.
Shortly before 9:00 p.m. on the date in question, officers responded to a 1st. Avenue home in Marlinton to investigate reports of an intoxicated woman entering several homes in search of alcohol and cigarettes. Upon their arrival, officers located the woman, identified as Ina Belle Pennington, and confirmed to be intoxicated, in a vehicle parked outside the home.
According to the criminal complaint, while attempting to speak with Pennington, officers stated that she would only respond in “smart retorts.”
Officers then advised Pennington that she was under arrest. The complaint further states that, while attempting to place Pennington in handcuffs, she resisted and demanded “that she be allowed to smoke her cigarette.” Pennington then allegedly attempted to remove one officer’s firearm, at which point she was taken to the ground and subdued.
According to the first victim’s statement, Pennington entered his home through the front door, “opened the refrigerator door [] took a beer can and a half-pint of liquor and began drinking them”, before being told to leave.
Pennington allegedly left with the victim’s alcohol, before entering the second victim’s home across the street, also through the front door. Pennington encountered a dog in the second home and reportedly attacked it. Pennington allegedly kicked the animal, causing it to retreat to a corner and urinate on the floor. The victim, who was alerted to the situation by the sound of the dog barking, immediately ordered Pennington to leave the home. Before exiting, Pennington allegedly attempted “to solicit cigarettes and alcohol while he was confronting her.”
Ina Belle Pennington is currently being held at Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $12,100 cash-bond or surety.
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