Tulsa World: Two charged with child abuse following Bartlesville altercation, chase

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Two charged with child abuse following Bartlesville altercation, chase

Gene William Lee

By LAURA SUMMERS World Correspondent
Published: 7/20/2009 1:58 PM
Last Modified: 7/20/2009 5:37 PM

BARTLESVILLE — Two Bartlesville residents were charged with felony child abuse following a Saturday altercation on west Frank Phillips Boulevard in which a baby was thrown to the ground twice and two children were dumped out of a stroller in front of several witnesses.

Gene William Lee, 29, and Geneva Stephanie Marie Curtis, 33, were arrested by Bartlesville police following an investigation into incidents that occurred Saturday night near the Budget Inn.

They were charged Monday and Washington County Special Judge John Gerkin set a $25,000 bond for Lee and a $20,000 bond for Curtis, both of whom have previous felony convictions. They remained jailed on Monday evening.

The incident began a little before 10 p.m. at the hotel at 1410 S.W. Frank Phillips Boulevard, where witnesses saw Lee and his family exiting the inn arguing as they walked along.

One of the children ran into the street — one of Bartlesville’s busiest thoroughfares — and reportedly was nearly hit by a van while the parents “showed no concern for the child,” according to witnesses who spoke with police. Concerned bystanders shouted to the couple to “watch their kids better.”

Lee responded by removing a baby he had strapped in a carrier on his chest and throwing the child to the ground, shouting at the witnesses across the street. According to a police affidavit, as the baby lay face down on the ground, Lee advanced on the bystanders with his arms waving wide, asking what they were going to do about it.

Curtis, meanwhile, was pushing two children in a stroller and became angry at the bystanders calling them “hoes” and “sluts,” the affidavit stated. Witnesses told police she pushed the stroller around erratically then dumped the children out onto the ground in a fit of anger.

When the witnesses informed the couple that they had made a 911 call, the parents grabbed the children and began running off.

One of the witnesses followed Lee behind the Dollar General store, located across the street from the hotel. Lee threw the child he was carrying into the bushes and turned to the witness threatening to beat him, the affidavit stated.

When Lee saw police arriving, he reportedly fled again, running in the front door of a home at 312 S.W. Virginia Ave. and exiting out the back door. He then ran into a house at 319 S.W. Virginia Ave., where police located him and the child that had been thrown. The baby had a cut on his scalp and several scratches on his body, the affidavit stated.

When Curtis spoke with police she was holding a child who was bleeding from a fresh cut on his head.

The age of one of the children is 17 months; the ages of two other children — twins — is 9 months, police said.

Witnesses told police the couple smelled strongly of alcohol. Additionally, police allegedly found marijuana in a sock Lee was wearing.

Lee has previous felony convictions in Washington County for drug charges in 2003 and 2004. Curtis has felony convictions in Washington County from 2002 charges of assault and battery on a police officer and domestic abuse.

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By LAURA SUMMERS World Correspondent

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Reader comments for this story have been moved to the most updated version of the story, now under the headline "Bartlesville couple charged in abuse of infant, toddlers," which was published on 7/21/2009. So far, 110 comments have been made.