MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Police say a Braxton County woman left her 11-year-old son in the parking lot while she went to get high in a gas station bathroom.

Amber Nicole Thompson, 29, of Frametown, is charged with gross child neglect creating a substantial risk of bodily injury or death by the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department.

A deputy was called to 204 Venture Drive – The BFS in Pierpont Centre – about 3 a.m. on Sunday for a reported drug overdose, according to a criminal complaint.

When the deputy arrived, a young boy was outside crying on the phone and EMS were treating a woman, later identified as Thompson, the complaint stated. There was a dirty needle on the ground, a band tied around Thompson’s arm and “drug paraphernalia” was spread around her body.

Thompson was not breathing and EMS were preparing to use Narcan, the complaint said.

The deputy returned outside and spoke to the young male of about 11 who told the deputy he didn’t know why his mom drove him to Morgantown. Thompson’s son said she was in the bathroom for about 15 minutes before he found her unresponsive.

After Thompson woke up she told the deputy she didn’t remember where she bought the drugs or how she got where she was. Thompson also said she didn’t remember driving her son to Morgantown and could not explain why the two were there, according to the criminal complaint.

“Amber, being from Braxton County, also left her son alone in a gas station parking lot in a strange city while she went to get high in the bathroom,” the deputy wrote in the complaint. “In turn, Amber exposed her son to the drugs that almost killed her when he came to her aid in the bathroom.”

Thompson was arraigned in Monongalia County Magistrate Court and is being held in North Central Regional Jail in lieu of $10,000 bond.

The criminal complaint does not state what happened to Thompson’s son.

Story by William Dean