One of two men facing child endangerment and drug-related charges following their arrest recently byLincolnCountydeputies has waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
The other’s pre-preliminary hearing has been continued.
The two were arrested in the parking lot of a store at U.S. 177 and U.S. 62.
Blake Michael Barrett, 21, of Seminole, was formally charged in Lincoln County District Court on Sep. 13 with two felonies and a misdemeanor.
The felonies accuse him of child endangerment by driving under the influence and possession of a Schedule IV Controlled Dangerous Substance with the intent to distribute.
The misdemeanor Barrett faces is unlawful possession of marijuana.
On Dec. 15, Barrett waived his preliminary hearing. Special Judge Emily Mueller scheduled his arraignment for Feb. 21, 2023.
Also charged with felony child endangerment was Khalil Steele, 23, no address listed. He was also chargedwithfelonypossession of a Schedule IV CDS with the intent to distribute.
Steele also appeared before Judge Kirk on the same day as Barrett. She also set his bond at $4,000. He made initial appearance on Sep. 29 before Judge Mueller.
The judge scheduled his pre-preliminary hearing for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 17 and also moved it until Dec. 15.
That hearing has been continued until Jan. 19, 2023.
In Count 1, Barrett is charged on Sep. 10 this year with driving a Saturn Auto caronU.S.177andonother public roads and highways in Lincoln County when he was under the influence of an intoxicating substance while transporting in the car a one-year-old child, the initials which are LS.
He was also charged on the same day at Lawson’s Store located at that location of possessing more than 40 tablets containing Alprazolam, also known as Xanax,aScheduleIVCDS, with the intent to distribute the substance while acting in concert with Steele.
The misdemeanor charges him with unlawful possession of marijuana while at the store.
Steele is accused in Count 1 on Sep. 10 of knowingly permitting his one-year-old child, LS, to be present in the Saturn car on U.S. 177 and other roads and highways in Lincoln County when he knew or should have known that Barrett, the driver of the car, was impaired by or was under the influence of an intoxicating substance.
Count 2 charges him with possessing more than 40 tablets containing Alprazolam, also known as Xanax,aScheduleIVCDS, with the intent to distribute the substance while acting in concert with Barrett.
In a probable cause affidavit, Deputy Sheriff Gage Elder states he was dispatched to a call of a reckless driver at 337075 U.S. 62, Meeker.
The reporting party had notified the dispatcher that there was a baby in the car and when the two occupants got out of the car at the store, they couldn’t walk straight and were stumbling around.
Elder reported that Deputies Steven Hinkle and Shawn Stewart started toward the scene and that Hinkle told Meeker Police Officers Raymond Mackin and Marshall Jones to begin heading that way since they were closer than any of the deputies en route.