Morgantown man charged with child neglect, animal cruelty

MORGANTOWN, W.Va (WDTV) - A Morgantown man has been charged after authorities say he sprayed dogs with chemicals and attacked a woman while she was holding an eight-week-old child.

Officers with the Morgantown Police Department responded to a domestic dispute at an apartment along Powell Ave. on Saturday, Sept. 9 just before 11 a.m., according to a criminal complaint.

Officers say they spoke with the victim on the scene who said 37-year-old Jeremy Shrout “had sprayed her dogs with cleaning chemicals” before forcibly grabbing her wrist and striking her in the head.

While Shrout was “physically attacking” her, police say she “was holding her 8-week-old child in her arms.”

Authorities say the victim had a large mark on the right side of her head.

Shrout has been charged with domestic battery, child neglect, and animal abuse. He is out on bond.