WELLSBURG -- A Brooke County woman was sentenced to up to 50 years in prison after admitting she abused her infant daughter and neglected two young children in conditions prosecutors described as dangerous, while two men received probation in separate burglary-related cases.
Brooke County Prosecuting Attorney Allison Adyniec Cowden announced the recent dispositions in Brooke County Circuit Court before Judge Jason A. Cuomo.
Kelanie Blanton, 28, was sentenced June 29 to an effective prison term of nine to 50 years in the West Virginia Division of Corrections after pleading guilty April 13 to one count of child abuse resulting in injury, one count of child neglect resulting in injury and six counts of child neglect creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury.
After completing her prison sentence, Blanton will serve 50 years of supervised release and must register as a child abuser with the West Virginia State Police for 10 years.
The charges stem from an investigation that began June 26, 2025, when West Virginia State Police Sgt. William Beck was notified by Child Protective Services that a 4-month-old child had been hospitalized at UPMC Children’s Hospital with severe traumatic head injuries.
According to prosecutors, Blanton initially told investigators the injuries occurred while the infant was in the care of a babysitter in New Cumberland. After executing a search warrant at the babysitter’s home and conducting interviews, investigators determined that account was inaccurate.
A second search warrant executed the following day at Blanton’s home on Tent Church Road in Colliers revealed the 4-month-old child and an 18-month-old sibling had been left alone overnight in the home’s basement, prosecutors said.
Investigators found mold on the walls, dog feces and trash on the floor, exposed wiring and dirty blankets. There were no baby monitors, and two dogs in the home had access to the basement. Another resident told investigators Blanton would place the children in the basement when they were “being difficult” so she could sleep longer.
Prosecutors said Blanton later admitted the babysitter did not cause the infant’s injuries. She told investigators she became frustrated with the child the night before the hospitalization and yanked the infant from a car seat, possibly causing the child to strike her head.
Treating physicians told investigators the injuries were consistent with those that could occur in a two-story fall.
The investigation was led by Beck with assistance from Sgt. Meredith and retired Sgt. Jimmy Gibson of the West Virginia State Police Crime Scene Team.
In a separate case, James Starr, 64, pleaded guilty June 22 to one count of entry of a building other than a dwelling. Cuomo sentenced Starr to one to 10 years in prison but suspended the sentence in favor of two years of supervised probation under a plea agreement.
Michael Vietmeier, 46, pleaded guilty July 2 to one count of conspiracy to commit entry of a building other than a dwelling. He was sentenced to one to five years in prison, with the sentence suspended in favor of two years of supervised probation under a plea agreement.
The charges stemmed from an Aug. 18, 2025, report of two men entering the former Follansbee sewer plant property on River Road.
According to prosecutors, officers responding to the scene found two men walking along River Road carrying bags. One suspect fled on foot, while the other, identified as Starr, complied with officers’ commands.
Police said Starr was carrying copper wire and other metal items. The sewer plant operator identified the wire as property taken from inside the facility, where a drum that previously had been filled with copper wire was found nearly empty. Starr identified the fleeing suspect as Vietmeier, prosecutors said.