BY ANNIE HOLLER
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
DELBARTON, W.Va. — A Delbarton woman is accused of hiding a missing 15-year-old girl from authorities for weeks after deputies found the juvenile inside her home June 18, ending a search that began when the teen was reported missing May 26.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Mingo County Magistrate Court, Kathryn Leigh Ball, 54, was arrested and charged with child concealment, obstructing an officer and contributing to the delinquency of a child.
The arrest came after members of the Mingo County Sheriff’s Department and the West Virginia State Police Williamson Detachment received a tip that the missing juvenile was being concealed at Ball’s residence on Harvey Addition in Delbarton.
When officers—Deputies G.J. May, B.T. Sipple and T.J. Justice, along with West Virginia Senior Trooper J.L. Marcum and Trooper D. Evans—arrived, they asked Ball whether the teen was inside the home. Ball allegedly denied that she was there.
Officers then requested permission to search the residence. According to the complaint, Ball initially refused, then eventually allowed deputies to enter.
What deputies found inside quickly contradicted Ball’s alleged claims.
Deputy Sipple reportedly spotted the missing teen through a glass door, lying on a couch in the living room. As officers moved into the room, the juvenile allegedly sprang from the couch and attempted to flee through a side door. Deputies detained her before she could escape.
Investigators said Ball knew the girl had been reported missing and was aware that law enforcement, family members and community members had been actively searching for her. The complaint states Ball had seen social media posts containing the juvenile’s name and photograph and had previously spoken with deputies about the case when officers visited her residence during the investigation.
Authorities allege Ball knowingly concealed the teen’s whereabouts despite being aware she had been reported missing and despite her obligation to provide information to law enforcement.
Officers transported Ball to the Southwestern Regional Jail, where she was later released after posting bail.
The case remains under investigation.
All individuals are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.