Colington woman arrested on kidnapping, 3 child abuse resulting in serious injury charges

Penny Roberson Williams (Photo courtesy Dare County Sheriff’s Office)

By Corinne Saunders

COLINGTON — Deputies with the Dare County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 62-year-old Colington woman on one count of felony second-degree kidnapping and three counts of felony child abuse resulting in serious injury.

Penny Roberson Williams, of the 400 block of Harbour View Drive in Kill Devil Hills, was incarcerated the afternoon of Saturday, May 24, on a $150,000 secured bond, public records show.

The three counts of “neg child abuse-ser phys inj” fall under North Carolina General Statute 14-318.4(a5), court records show.

This section of state law says: “A parent or any other person providing care to or supervision of a child less than 16 years of age whose willful act or grossly negligent omission in the care of the child shows a reckless disregard for human life is guilty of a Class G felony if the act or omission results in serious physical injury to the child.”

Williams’ next court date is Tuesday, June 10.

The investigation into Williams’ alleged actions began on Friday, according to a Tuesday sheriff’s office press release.

“On May 23, 2025, deputies from the Dare County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Department of Social Services, responded to a child abuse report,” the release said. “Following an investigation and interviews with involved parties, probable cause was established, leading to the arrest of Ms. Williams.”

All four charges list alleged offense dates of Jan. 1, 2023, and all four charges were filed Saturday.

More information on the case was not immediately available.

Colington Island is part of unincorporated Dare County, but its addresses are listed as Kill Devil Hills because that is the nearest post office. The Dare County Sheriff’s Office is the law enforcement entity serving all unincorporated parts of Dare County.

“The Dare County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to protecting and serving our community,” Tuesday’s release said. “The office strongly encourages anyone with information about potential threats to public safety or other criminal activities to contact local law enforcement.”

Anyone with information or tips can call the Dare County Sheriff's Office at 252-475-5980 or the Dare County Communications Center at 252-473-3444.

--------

Editor’s Note: Did you appreciate Outer Banks Insider’s ad-free independent journalism? It takes significant time and effort to bring you this quality service. Subscribe today at this link to access all our in-depth, exclusive reporting and to directly support the continuation of this important work in the community.