The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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December 10, 2009

North Enid man faces prison on child neglect and possession of controlled substance charges

By Kasey Fowler, Staff Writer

A North Enid man was arraigned Thursday on charges of child neglect and possession of a controlled substance.

Lee Newton Roberts II, 20, faces up to life in prison, a fine of up to $5,000 or both on the child neglect charge and up to a year in prison on the charge of possession of a controlled substance. There also were applications to accelerate a deferred sentence.

Roberts appeared before Special District Judge Paul Woodward Thursday morning via video and was represented by attorney Brian Lovell.

According to an affidavit filed in the case, North Enid Police Department was contacted shortly after midnight Dec. 2 about a baby sitting in a vehicle with both doors open and no one around.

North Enid Police contacted Garfield County Sheriff’s Office to respond as well. When North Enid Police arrived on scene a Garfield County deputy, Enid Police Department officers and an ambulance were on scene.

The man who reported the incident to the police was informed by his wife she had seen a vehicle with its doors open, according to the affidavit. When he went to check on it he noticed the door of the business was open, too. He noticed there was a baby in the car so he whistled and yelled into the open door of the business but received no response, according to the affidavit.

The owner of the business was notified and he opened the business for officers to go to an apartment inside where Roberts, his girlfriend and her son lived.

The apartment door was open when officers arrived, and they found Roberts asleep, according to the affidavit. When Roberts woke up he had a difficult time thinking or giving complete responses, leading officers to ask if he had been drinking or “doing anything else,” ac-cording to the affidavit

Roberts replied “no” to both and said he had no drugs. An officer told Ro-berts his eyes were telling him “that he had something other than water in his system,” according to the affidavit, and Roberts admitted he had taken three Valium. Roberts had three Valium and two Soma pills in his pocket, according to the affidavit.

When Roberts was asked about the child he did not know where the boy was. He said he thought he had brought him upstairs with him. Roberts said he had come home from Garber about 10:30 p.m., according to the affidavit.

The mother was called to come home from work to take the child.

The Oklahoma Mesonet listed the low on Dec. 1 as 28 degrees and 29 degrees on Dec. 2.

Assistant District Attorney Tallena McMichael requested bond be set at $50,000 on the newest charges and $2,500 and $10,000 on the applications. Lovell argued for a reduced bond of $10,000 for all three. Lovell said he had defended Roberts and Ro-berts’ family members before and said he didn’t believe Roberts had ever missed a court appearance.

Woodward set bond at $25,000 on the new charge and $1,000 and $5,000 on the applications.

Lovell requested an immediate preliminary hearing date, and Woodward set the hearing for Monday.

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