Man pleads guilty to son's burning in meth explosion
BY KENDRICK MARSHALL World Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
A Wagoner County man who was arrested in October after his 5-year-old son was burned by a shake-and-bake methamphetamine lab accepted a plea agreement Tuesday.
Stanley Rice, 38, plead guilty to child neglect, according to Wagoner County District Attorney Stephanie Milburn. He is expected to serve 6 1/2 years in prison.
On Oct. 18 or 19, witnesses told police the child was riding on the handlebars of his father's bicycle in the Rocky Point area of Wagoner when a bottle he was holding exploded, resulting in burns to the boy's face, the Wagoner County Sheriff's Office said.
A female witness contacted the boy's mother after she saw the explosion, authorities said.
The mother made attempts to locate the boy and Rice before finally finding the child and taking him to an area hospital on Oct. 21.
The boy had been living with his father at the time of the incident, authorities said.
During interviews with investigators, Rice said his son had been burned by a barbeque grill, but doctors had told authorities the boy's burns were caused by chemicals associated with methamphetamine production.
Following his arrest, Rice attempted suicide three times while in jail, authorities said.
