35-year-old Jeffrey Malcolm has been charged with soliciting a minor in West Virginia
Credit: Tygart Valley Regional Jail
NEED TO KNOW
- Jeffrey Malcolm, 35, was arrested and charged with soliciting a minor after allegedly locking a girl in the store in Philippi, W. Va., on Sept. 12
- The girl reported inappropriate comments and actions by Malcolm, who is accused of locking her inside the Dollar General store he managed
- Malcolm is currently being held on $40,000 bond
A Dollar General manager in West Virginia was charged with soliciting a minor after he allegedly locked a girl in the store.
Jeffrey Malcolm of Philippi, W. Va. was arrested by the Barbour County Sheriff’s Office and booked into Tygart Valley Regional Jail in Belington, W. Va., on Sept. 12, according to inmate records reviewed by PEOPLE. The 35-year-old was charged with one count of soliciting a minor and is being held on a $40,000 bond.
Malcolm was charged after the girl’s mother called police upon learning that her daughter had been locked in the store while Malcolm allegedly made a series of inappropriate comments to her, local outlets WDTV and WBOY reported, citing the Barbour County Sheriff’s Office and the criminal complaint.
After she was dropped off at the store, police allege that Malcolm offered to pay for some of the items the girl was trying to purchase and that he made inappropriate comments toward her, per WDTV.
The girl’s identity has not been released because she is a minor.
Malcom is accused of later locking the girl inside the store, according to the criminal complaint obtained by WDTV.
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During the interaction, as the store’s other employees were taking out the trash, the girl was able to leave the store when Malcolm opened the door for them, WDTV reported.
Police reportedly seized Malcolm’s phone, and found he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.136% while at work, according to WDTV.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Barbour County Sheriff’s Office.
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