Mannington man arrested after hitting children with belt

MANNINGTON, W.Va (WDTV) – A Mannington man was arrested this week on child molestation charges.

Michael Gernstl, 60, is accused of hitting three children with a belt to discipline them, resulting in bruises on their thighs, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Department.

A CPS investigation in late 2023/early 2024 led to police involvement, deputies said.

The three children who were in Gernstl’s care at the time were 13, 11 and 7 years old, officials said.

An investigation found that Gernstl routinely disciplined the 11-year-old and 7-year-old with a belt, resulting in bruises on their thighs that were photographed by CPS, court documents said.

Deputies said Gernstl would also make the 11-year-old and 7-year-old stand outside in the cold as punishment until he said they could come back inside.

In early December 2023, Gernstl left the seven-year-old standing outside after the bath because she didn’t want to get dressed, court documents say. Officers said he left her standing outside in the cold for an estimated seven minutes, still damp from the bath and not appropriately dressed for the frigid weather.

Gernstl denied hitting the children in the thighs, but said he hit them with a belt as a form of discipline.

Gernstl is charged with two counts of child abuse and is currently being held at the North Central Regional Jail on $100,212 bond.

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