WINFIELD, WV (LOOTPRESS) — A routine school day turned into a criminal investigation on May 6, 2025, after staff at Winfield Elementary reported signs of possible child abuse on a young student. Now, a Putnam County man is facing charges of domestic battery and child abuse resulting in injury.
Authorities were called to the school on Wall Street after bus driver Keith Farmer and aide Lisa Thompson noticed visible bruising on the head and body of a 10-year-old. When questioned, the child revealed his injuries came from his stepfather, Jonathan Riley, during an incident at home.
Winfield Police and Child Protective Services (CPS) were brought in, and the child was immediately taken to CAMC Women and Children’s Hospital due to worsening pain and visible injuries. School officials, including Principal Sarah Dempsey, documented the abuse and followed the child to the hospital for further evaluation.
During the investigation, the child told authorities that Riley became angry after asking him to clean up toys, then struck him multiple times with a lighter and a pepper grinder. The child said his mother, Abigail Riley, was asleep in another room when it happened.
Riley later admitted to disciplining the child but denied causing the injuries. He claimed the child had previously hit his head on a wall or engaged in self-harm, though those statements contradicted medical findings and eyewitness accounts.
When interviewed, Riley’s mother and sister attempted to downplay the incident, providing a photo from a Ring camera showing the child without visible injuries the night before. But the timeline and severity of bruises told a different story.
Based on the child’s statements, the physical evidence, and conflicting accounts from adults in the home, Jonathan Riley was formally charged with domestic battery and child abuse resulting in injury.
