Four Children - Muskogee OK

Missing Boy Report May Lead To Charges

— Four children were removed from their home after no one reported a missing 9-year-old for 10 hours.

Prosecutors are determining whether to file charges of child endangerment, said Crieg Rittenhouse, Muskogee County assistant district attorney.

Patrol officers had been flagged down by the missing child’s mother about 2:30 a.m. Christmas Day, said Muskogee Police Lt. Bobby Lee.

“She had apparently been out of town and left the children with the grandparents,” Lee said.

The 9-year-old had been missing since 4 p.m. Christmas Eve.

One of the missing child’s siblings told officers he had last been seen riding a bicycle.

The missing child was located about three blocks from home by Officer Kevin Hammons, who noticed the boy’s bicycle in the yard of a home.

Police called the Department of Human Services because of the conditions in the child’s home and the time the mother waited to report the child missing.

When police went to the mother’s home, in the 1500 block of Ellsworth Street, to begin investigating the missing child report, they found a man who had outstanding warrants.

Joshua Rhoton, 28, was found hiding in the backyard.

“He (Rhoton) was the boyfriend of the mother and he was hiding because of his outstanding warrants,” Lee said.

Rhoton was booked into the Muskogee County/City Detention Facility on a complaint of failure to pay and is being held on $500 cash bond.

http://muskogeephoenix.com/local/x480667542/Missing-boy-report-may-lead-to-charges

There should be no question whether to charge the mother. She was harboring a wanted criminal and placing her children at risk. We know from all the cases we see every day those children were placed in great danger because Mommy chose a loser boyfriend. She stopped caring about her children and only cares about herself and her boyfriend.