WAYNE COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – A woman from Wayne County faces child neglect charges after West Virginia State Police troopers say she avoided getting medical treatment for a 5-year-old family member following an apparent sexual assault.
Jessica E. Nicholson, 23, of Genoa, West Virginia, is charged with child neglect resulting with injury. She was arrested Sunday.
Troopers say eventual medical testing from Three Rivers Medical Center in Louisa, Kentucky, revealed the 5-year-old girl tested positive for genital herpes and a staph infection (MRSA), according to the criminal complaint from Wayne County Magistrate Court.
Nicholson told troopers she did not follow up on getting medical help for the girl in late August, even after she was in obvious pain and had difficulty walking. Troopers also say Nicholson was uncooperative during questioning about the alleged sexual assault.
According to the criminal complaint, troopers say Nicholson’s home was “discovered to be a filthy environment (with) unhealthy living conditions for children.”