BY ANNIE HOLLER
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
DELBARTON, W.Va. — A 20-year-old Delbarton man faces five charges after West Virginia State Police said he slapped his girlfriend, struck his mother in the head with an object and later attacked a woman who refused to drive him to the hospital to see his injured mother.
Cameron Jax Brinager was arrested July 24 at a residence on Jayber Lane on one count of malicious wounding, two counts of domestic battery, one count of domestic assault and one count of destruction of property.
The charges stem from a series of confrontations involving Brinager’s girlfriend, Haley Estepp; his mother, Denise Brinager; and Maddyson Justice.
According to the criminal complaint, the violence began as Cameron Brinager confronted Estepp after drinking alcohol.
Estepp told Trooper D.S. Evans and Senior Trooper J.C. Morrison that Brinager began to act “crazy” and threw objects from a porch. She said he threw his cellphone at her and slapped her in the face on the front porch.
Estepp believed Brinager was going to hurt her with an object, according to the complaint.
That is when Denise Brinager stepped between her son and Estepp to stop the confrontation, and Cameron Brinager allegedly struck his mother in the head with a perfume bottle.
Estepp told troopers that blood began to “gush out” of Denise Brinager’s head.
Troopers interviewed Denise Brinager while she received treatment at Appalachian Regional Healthcare. She told police her son became angry and “started to go after” Estepp, so she stepped between them and he struck her with the perfume bottle.
After his mother went to the hospital, Brinager asked Justice to drive him there to see her, the complaint states.
Justice told police that she refused and got into her 2017 Toyota RAV4 to leave.
Brinager then allegedly jumped onto the front of Justice’s vehicle and began beating on its windows and front end. Police said he damaged the hood.
Brinager reportedly then went to the driver’s side of the vehicle, shouted an obscenity at Justice and punched her in the mouth. The blow caused her head to strike the vehicle’s seat, the complaint says.
Troopers received the initial domestic disturbance complaint through Mingo County Emergency Services at approximately 6:52 p.m. After going to Jayber Lane, they traveled to Helena Avenue, where they interviewed Justice and Estepp.
Police lodged Brinager in the Southwestern Regional Jail in Holden to await a court appearance.
Court records show Brinager’s charges under two separate case numbers in Mingo County Magistrate Court.
On July 27, Magistrate David Justice set a $7,000 cash bond in the malicious wounding case, a felony. In the misdemeanor case—domestic battery, domestic assault and destruction of property—he set a $3,000 cash bond.
Denise Brinager posted both bonds totaling $10,000 July 27 and the court entered release orders in both cases.
A preliminary hearing in the felony case and a pretrial hearing in the misdemeanor case are set for 9 a.m. Aug. 4 in Mingo County Magistrate Court.
The charges are allegations. Brinager is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.