A routine school day in Pennsboro turned into a criminal case after staff at Creed Collins Elementary reported visible injuries on two students, leading deputies to arrest a local couple on child-abuse charges. Authorities say 30-year-old Gregory Curry and 26-year-old Emily Curry were taken into custody and booked into North Central Regional Jail after the school called in the concerns, according to AOL.
The call to law enforcement followed teachers spotting bruising on a student's leg in a classroom on Wednesday. Deputies were directed to the room after staff reported "significant bruising" on the child's leg, and the juvenile told investigators Gregory Curry had struck them with a belt, with the leg appearing slightly swollen around the areas of trauma, according to a criminal complaint cited in a republished account carried by AOL. Another student reportedly said they had been struck the previous day, and the complaint states Gregory Curry admitted to striking the juveniles with a belt. The same filing says Emily Curry acknowledged she knew Gregory had struck the children, but told investigators she had been in the kitchen and denied seeing it happen.
The republished coverage that draws from WBOY's reporting says both Gregory and Emily Curry were charged with child abuse and held at North Central Regional Jail, according to AOL. Booking records show the pair remained in custody following the arrests while the investigation continues, and officials had not immediately released details about court dates or related filings.
What Deputies Say The Complaint Shows
The criminal complaint describes deputies interviewing multiple juveniles and observing swelling and bruising that lined up with what school staff first reported. One child told investigators they were struck the day before deputies arrived, and the document records an admission that Gregory Curry struck the children with a belt, according to WKRC. That report notes the complaint does not list the ages of the juveniles or describe their relationship to the defendants.
Legal Process And State Reporting Duties
Under West Virginia law, school personnel are mandatory reporters who must alert child-protective services and, in serious cases involving physical harm, law enforcement. A state judiciary benchbook outlines those rules and helps explain why deputies went straight to the classroom and why criminal charges followed once the complaint was in hand. Any formal court filings and scheduled hearings will be recorded in Ritchie County court dockets as the case moves forward.
Investigators with the Ritchie County Sheriff's Office are continuing their probe, and the couple remains in custody, according to the published reports. Local outlets have pieced together details from the criminal complaint and jail records, and authorities have not released further information. We will update this story if the county or school district issues new records or public statements.
