Carthage father to stand trial on charge of neglecting his children
May 7—A 28-year-old father from Carthage was ordered bound over for trial Thursday on a felony charge of neglecting his two children.
David L. Morris Jr. waived a preliminary hearing on the charge in Jasper County Circuit Court and was ordered to stand trial by Judge Joe Hensley. The judge set the defendant's initial appearance in a trial division of the court on June 1.
Morris and his wife, Sara Morris, 27, were charged with the offense after a Sept. 24 well-being check on Sara Morris conducted by police at the couple's home that purportedly resulted in the discovery that both parents were failing to provide the care necessary for the well-being of their two children.
A probable-cause affidavit states that their house on Oak Street in Carthage was without power and littered with trash and debris. There were weapons, metal objects and dirty clothes lying about on the floors and the rooms were infested with roaches and bedbugs, according to the affidavit.
David Morris was passed out in the living room at the time and the children were covered in dirt, the officer who conducted the check wrote in the affidavit.
Sara Morris has a preliminary hearing coming up May 13.
