Police responded to a 911 call for a domestic disturbance in progress in the 8500 block of Winchester Grade Road on Thursday, June 19.
As officers were en route to the scene, another 911 call came in from a neighboring residence reporting a woman had jumped in front of their vehicle and was hitting their car, while a 6-year-old child stood by, crying in the driveway.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Morgan County Magistrate Court by Deputy J.T. Hedrick, the first caller’s daughter was reportedly intoxicated outside his house, screaming and breaking things, as her child looked on.
Upon arrival, law enforcement officers observed a woman, identified as Ashley N. Burgess, 36, of Berkeley Springs, across the street at a neighbor’s house, kicking on their door.
Burgess was noncompliant when the officers ordered her to stop, fighting and scratching them on the neck and arms, until she was placed under arrest for obstructing an officer, according to the criminal complaint.
Officers discovered cracks in the doorframe Burgess was kicking, and a window at her father’s residence, which she broke with his cane, according to the criminal complaint.
In addition to obstruction, Burgess was charged with child neglect, battery on an officer, and destruction of property. She remains incarcerated at Eastern Regional Jail awaiting a hearing.
