Man Accused Of Being Passed Out Drunk While Baby Wandered Toward Road

Oklahoma City Police arrested a man accused of being so intoxicated that he passed out while his young child crawled toward a busy road, prompting a bystander to intervene. 

At about 9 p.m. Sunday, officers responded to Northwest 5th Street and North Walker Avenue after someone called about 41-year-old Cotcha Walker being passed out drunk on a bus station bench, according to the police report. The caller said Walker's very young son was crawling toward Northwest 5th Street. 

"When you're talking about the intersection of Northwest 5th and Walker, that's very close to downtown. It's very hard, sometimes, for cars to see, especially if a baby is crawling off of a curb," said MSgt. Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department. 

The police report said the caller intervened to prevent the baby boy from getting onto the road. 

"When officers arrived, they were able to wake the man up, tried to talk to him," Knight said. "He was in an extreme state of intoxication. He became aggressive toward officers, at which point he was handcuffed." 

Walker told police he was trying to catch the bus. But he was so intoxicated that officers were concerned he was going to drop his child, the report stated. Police said they tried to contact the child's mother but could not reach her. 

Police called the Department of Human Services (DHS). Knight said the boy was fine after being taken into protective custody.  

Walker was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on felony child neglect. A DHS supervisor said this was not the first time Walker was intoxicated while having his son with him, according to the police report.