Former Ohio schools superintendent charged with kidnapping two children in West Virginia

A nine-year-old boy and 12-year-old girl were lured into a vehicle with promises of cash for babysitting

A former Ohio school superintendent has been arrested in West Virginia for an attempted kidnapping of two children.

Local police said in a statement that William Morrison III, 59, from Huntington, West Virginia, has been charged with two felonies after he got the children to enter his vehicle with promises of cash.

Mr Morrison is said to have asked a nine-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl to babysit his four-year-old child on 7 August, according to the Associated Press. He offered them $20 each.

The former education official allegedly drove the children for a period before stopping and asking the boy to exit the vehicle to inspect the tires. When the boy was out of the vehicle, Mr Morrison reportedly drove away with the girl and left the boy behind.

Mr Morrison reportedly raised the offer to $100 when the girl started crying, a criminal complaint filed in Cabell County Magistrate Court states.

Police say the girl opened the passenger door after several blocks and exited the vehicle. Both children suffered no injuries.

Huntington Police asked the public for help in their investigation, leading to the authorities searching Mr Morrison’s home as well as a Barboursville apartment.

On Tuesday, Mr Morrison was held at the Western Regional Jail without bond. Jail records did not show if he has a lawyer to speak on his behalf.

He previously pled guilty to a misdemenour drug charge in Columbus, Ohio, in 2017. Police say that crack cocaine was found in his vehicle, according to the Associated Press.

He was subsequently fired from his job as the superintendent of the Hamilton Local School District, located south of the city.