Man Accused Of Leaving Kids In Car While He Drank At OKC Bar

The Oklahoma County District Attorney has charged a 33-year-old man with child neglect after finding two young children sitting unattended in a car outside an Oklahoma City bar.

According to court documents, the children – ages 9 and 6 – were left on Sunday, November 13, in the locked car near S.W. 25th Street and S. Walker Avenue. The children's grandmother found them and called police. Police asked the oldest child how long they'd been left alone, and she said at least two hours. She said her father had only checked on them once.

Officers found the children's father, Michael Brandon Hicks, in a nearby bar. They say he showed obvious signs of intoxication; he had red, blood shot eyes, slurred speech and smelled of alcohol.

Police arrested Hicks, and prosecutors charged him with child neglect and being drunk in public. Hicks was previously convicted of driving under the influence in September 2006 and of second-degree burglary in March 2002.