A Wise County couple has been indicted on state jail felony child abandonment charges after allegedly leaving their 18-month-old son alone in a locked trailer home for hours Jan. 19.
Thomas Wade Harris, 29, and Tiffany Elizabeth Barnes, 34, were both indicted by a Wise County grand jury on one count of abandon endanger a child with intent to return and abandon endanger a child criminal negligence. The two had previously been arrested on the more serious charge of abandoning a child and leaving in imminent danger to bodily injury, a second-degree felony.
Wise County Sheriff’s investigators, responding to a tip about a child being left alone in a home for hours, found the small child in his crib in an “extremely hot” room heated by an electric space heater, according to a Sheriff’s Office press release. The indictment also indicates the child did not have adequate food or water.
Medics transported the child to Wise Regional Health System in Decatur to be checked out. He was not injured.
Barnes and Harris told investigators they had to make an emergency trip to the hospital but didn’t want to wake their young son, who was sleeping in his crib. The couple took their 5-year-old son with them to the hospital.
Investigators suspect the young child was left alone at the home in the 1300 block of County Road 4797 southwest of Boyd for approximately eight hours.
The grand jury met Feb. 27 and also returned the following felony indictments:
Stephen Ray Meek, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle
Stephen Ray Meek, possession of a controlled substance – methamphetamine, less than one gram
Malissa Ann Barry, possession of a controlled substance – methamphetamine, less than one gram
Brandi Jett Barber, possession of a controlled substance – methamphetamine, less than one gram
Gregory Allan Munoz, assault intentionally/recklessly impeding breathing/circulation family member
Matthew B. Proctor, assault family/household member impeding breathing/circulation
Justin Lee Robinson, injury to a child with intent to cause bodily injury
Megan Khrystyne Sucharzewski, injury to a child with intent to cause bodily injury by omission
Kinney Wayne Webb, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (one count), assault family/household member impeding breathing/circulation (one count)
Raymond Robert Grosiak Jr., assault family/household member impeding breathing/circulation
Patrick Wayne Lee, sex offenders duty to register for life/90 days
Billy Gene Lock, sexual assault
Clinton Dewitt Crowley III, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon
Jose Dolores Hernandez-Granados, evading arrest/detention with a vehicle
Christopher Samuel Mabee, evading arrest/detention with a vehicle
Clinton Dewitt Cowley III, evading arrest/detention with a vehicle
Thomas Earl McClendon, evading arrest/detention with a vehicle
Shawn Anthony Oshaw, theft of material aluminum/bronze/copper/brass less than $20,000
Michael Wayne Parten, driving while intoxicated third or more
Reid Landon Totty, driving while intoxicated third or more
Craig Anthony Wood, driving while intoxicated third or more
Steven Craig Paulson Jr., theft of property $1,500-$20,000
Steven Wayne Counts, evading arrest/detention with a vehicle
Kenneth Wendell Hall, prohibited substance in a correctional facility alcohol/drugs/phone/tobacco
