A Lincoln County jury has convicted the father of a youth he was accused of nearly starving to death almost three years ago.
Jimmy Lee Jones, Sr., 37, of Meeker, was convicted of a single count of child neglect.
The jury deliberated four hours before returning to the courtroom and announcing the guilty verdict.
The jury recommended that Jones serve six years in state prison.
District Judge Cindy Ashwood, who presided over the trial, scheduled sentencing for 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 3. She remanded Jones to the custody of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
Both the state and defense waived a pre-sentence investigation.
Pottawatomie and Lincoln County District Attorney said following the verdict, “I want to thank the jurors for their service.”
Assistant DA David Slane prosecuted the case.
Jones was originally charged nearly three years ago, on July 23, 2018, with two felonies in the case, child abuse by injury and child neglect.
Those charges were filed by former District Attorney Richard Smothermon. Later, after current Grubb was in office, the child abuse by injury charge was dismissed.
The youth, 15 at the time and who was identified only as JJ, was found by investigators on his property about 9:45 a.m. on July 12, 2018. He and a 4-year-old sibling were initially taken to the Unzner Center in Shawnee and then they were transported to OU Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City.
JJ reportedly remained there a considerable time. The 4-year-old was checked out and released from the hospital and placed in the custody of Department of Human Services, authorities had indicated.
Also charged at that time in addition to Jones was Amy Adkins Jones, then 46, identified as the teen’s stepmom, who was originally charged with felonies of enabling child abuse by injury and child neglect.
Jonathan Luke Plank, at that time 20, and Tyler Joe Adkins at the time 24, the two brothers, each faced a single felony charge of child neglect.
Later, the case against Plank was dismissed.
The step-mom and Tyler Joe Adkins still face a single count of child neglect and are scheduled for trial in October.
Jimmy Jones, Sr., was employed as a correctional officer at the state prison facility in Cushing at the time, and he was booked into jail the following Monday after turning himself into authorities.
Former Assistant DA Adam Panter said it was a concerned citizen in July who notified DHS about the welfare of 15-year-old J.J. and DHS officials contacted the Lincoln County child abuse investigator employed with the DA’s office.
That investigator, along with two members of the DA’s Task Force on Narcotics and Violent Crimes, went to the Jones’ residence on Thursday, July 12, and took the 15-year-old starving teenager and the couple’s 4-year-old daughter into protective custody.
They returned the next day, Friday July 13, serving a warrant to search the house and property. That’s when they arrested the mom and two adult sons.
Panter had said three years ago all of the other family members, other than J.J., were living in the house fully stocked with food.
The refrigerator and the pantry were full of food.
“The 15-year-old was having to forage for himself. He was eating raw eggs from the chickens and berries he could find on the property,” Panter had said.