“We can’t change the facts but I felt like I did my job and did the best I could with what I had to work with,” Amend said. “I feel like I fought for it. That’s all you can do at the end of the day is fight for your client.”
Jury finds Lincoln County father guilty of child neglect
Mike Seals - June 17, 2021 11:32 pm
LINCOLN COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) – A jury found Jimmy Jones, Sr. guilty of child neglect.
Jones was accused of child neglect in 2018.
Prosecutors say his then 15-year-old child was living in a filthy barn, was not given enough food, and didn’t get medical care after his father allegedly hurt him.
“It’s a parent’s job to take care of their children in this state and when they neglect a child and let a gunshot wound fester, or a head wound fester to the point of– or starve a child to 75 pounds at 15 years old, they need to be held accountable,” District Attorney Allan Grubb said.
The defense attorney admitted it was a tough case.
“I struggled with this one to be honest with you. That kid testifying that day, it broke my heart,” defense attorney Michael Amend said.
The defense called their final witness, the ex-girlfriend of Jones’ stepson, who lived at the house for a few months.
She said when she saw the child eat three to four times a week, she was shocked by how much he would eat.
She also said the couple of times a week he would shower, he would argue with his stepmom; she said he never fully cleaned himself off.
She also said she was shocked to see the photos of the poor conditions, and that she saw him studying enough to believe he was being educated.
The state says no matter what the jury decides, they will have done their job.
“This is the state of Oklahoma making sure that parents are taking care of their children,” Grubb said.
He also adds the child is doing much better now.
“I’m just happy that he is safe, that he is in a good home, that he is thriving, that he is going to graduate high school next year,” he said.
BELOW: Barn where juvenile was living when found
