Fauntleroy Pleads Guilty in Child Removal Case
Megan Rae Fauntleroy entered a guilty plea to removing a minor child from a custodian in Randolph County Circuit Court.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Crime — General
Megan Rae Fauntleroy, 41, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Randolph County Circuit Court to one felony count of removal of a minor child from a custodian. Under the plea agreement, a conspiracy charge and two counts of false reporting to an officer will be dismissed.
Why it matters
The plea resolves a case involving the state's legal custody of a child after the family left West Virginia with the child in late December. Separate charges filed by Barbour County are also set to be dropped if the agreement is accepted, which would close several overlapping prosecutions tied to the same events.
Fauntleroy has pleaded guilty to one felony count of removal of a minor child from a custodian, with the conspiracy charge and two misdemeanor false-reporting counts to be dismissed under the agreement. Sentencing is scheduled for December 23 in Randolph County Circuit Court, pending the court's acceptance of the plea deal.
The players
Megan Rae Fauntleroy
The 41-year-old defendant who pleaded guilty to removal of a minor child from a custodian in Randolph County Circuit Court.
Darries Fauntleroy
The 43-year-old co-defendant who was contacted by a state employee and claimed the family was in New Jersey.
United States Marshals
The federal law enforcement agency that located the Fauntleroys in South Carolina.
The details
The Fauntleroys left West Virginia with the child on December 27, 2025, after the state was granted legal custody that day. The family was located in South Carolina by United States Marshals and arrested January 11, after a Department of Health and Human Resources employee had earlier been contacted by Darries Fauntleroy, who claimed the family was in New Jersey.
Timeline
December 27, 2025: State of West Virginia granted legal custody; the Fauntleroys left the state with the child.
January 10, 2026: DHHR employee contacted Darries Fauntleroy, who claimed a New Jersey location.
January 11, 2026: The Fauntleroys were arrested.
October 27, 2026: Randolph County grand jury indicted Fauntleroy on concealment or removal of a minor child and conspiracy.
December 23: Megan Fauntleroy scheduled for sentencing in Randolph County Circuit Court.
Legal Context
The plea falls under West Virginia's felony statute for removing a minor child from a custodian, an offense applied when custody has been legally assigned to an entity other than the parent. Resolving the case through a single felony count with dismissals of related conspiracy and false-reporting charges reflects a common charging-bargain structure in state circuit courts.
Residents of Randolph and Barbour counties may see the case closed without a trial, reducing the number of pending proceedings in local courts. The outcome also confirms that custody orders issued by the state are enforceable, which matters for families and agencies involved in similar disputes.
The takeaway
A single felony plea can resolve multiple overlapping charges across counties, so the final sentence on December 23 will determine how the custody dispute is formally closed. Readers following similar custody cases can track court dockets in the county where charges were filed.
What happens next
Megan Rae Fauntleroy is scheduled to be sentenced on December 23 in Randolph County Circuit Court, pending the court's acceptance of the plea agreement.
Further reading
Explore more crime general coverage for other West Virginia court developments.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Theintermountain.
