The parents are currently being held in the Central Regional Jail on a $100,000 cash-only bond.
A starving 8-year-old from West Virginia who cops said leapt from a second-story window with her Teddy bear allegedly walked to a nearby Family Dollar begging for food, according to reports.
The incident, which occurred around 10:30 p.m. on July 7 in Arnoldsburg, West Virginia, saw the child reportedly walk barefoot into a Family Dollar and ask for food after she allegedly told employees at the store that she hadn’t eaten in days, according to the New York Post.
“It was sad and really concerning and we wasn’t about to let her leave and go anywhere else,” Sandra Knicley, Family Dollar employee, told WOWKTV. “So, we just took her to the back and took care of her until the cops got here.”
The child reportedly told the two employees working at the time she had only eaten a single peanut butter and jelly sandwich, given to her by one of her three siblings within the last three days. She also said her parents regularly told her that she was unwanted, according to Law&Crime.
The employees then called 911 and fed the girl snacks, according to Law&Crime.
Police said the girl told them the same story and in their criminal complaint, obtained by WOWKTV, reportedly wrote: “She felt dehydrated because she hadn’t drunk enough water and wanted to see if the Family Dollar had anything for her to eat. Her parents told her she had an attitude and when they think she has an attitude, they tell her she’s not being good and they don’t want her.”
“This was not the first time they told her they didn’t want her,” police reportedly added.
The girl’s parents, Ryan Keith Hardman and Ellio M. Hardman, both 33, were soon arrested and charged with felony gross neglect of a child creating a risk of injury or death, according to Law&Crime.
It remains unknown if the parents entered a plea or obtained legal representation. Inside Edition Digital has reached out to the Calhoun County Courts for more information and have not heard back.
When cops searched the Hardman residence, they reportedly said they found “food in the cupboards, food pantry, refrigerator and freezer for the entire family,” and none of it looked to be expired. They also found drug paraphernalia, according to WOWKTV.
The girl and three other children were removed from the home, according to reports.
The parents currently being held in the Central Regional Jail on a $100,000 cash-only bond.
