LEWISBURG W.Va. (WVDN) – According to a criminal complaint, on Sept. 26, an officer received a call from Greenbrier County 911 regarding a juvenile who had been left at Walmart. According to the caller, a 14-year-old female juvenile had allegedly been left at Walmart while the child’s mother returned to a motel.
When the officer arrived at the reported motel, he noticed a vehicle matching the description given by the caller. The officer got out of his patrol car and approached the vehicle. The driver, identified as Lola May Curfman, was reportedly seated in the driver’s seat. According to the criminal complaint, the passenger opened the passenger side door and fled on foot.
The officer reportedly asked Curfman why she left her child alone at Walmart. Curfman is reported to have said that she had let her enter Walmart and left her daughter alone because a friend was supposed to pick her up and bring her home. The juvenile allegedly later told the officer that her mother had left her at Walmart for an extended period of time.
After learning that the passenger had fled the scene, the officer deployed K-9 Szebi to track the subject. Another officer allegedly advised that the track may have been contaminated prior to deploying the K-9, and that the officers didn’t see which direction the passenger went.
K-9 Szebi showed a change in behavior near the rear of the motel, near a wooded bank, but couldn’t continue the track due to contamination and lack of knowledge of the passengers’ last direction of travel. Szebi was then secured back in the patrol vehicle.
According to the criminal complaint, the juvenile had originally left the area with a male neighbor but fled from him and headed towards the area of Fairlea. Here, the officers reportedly located her at a residence.
Child Protection Services was contacted and later took custody of the juvenile.
An officer conducted a search of the vehicle and reportedly found a backpack containing items consistent with drug distribution, including drug paraphernalia, numerous small clear baggies, two digital scales, two cell phones and both used and unused hypodermic needles.
The officer advised Curfman that she was under arrest for child neglect resulting in injury. Curfman was transported to Southern Regional Jail for processing.
