Blog

NORMAN, okay. (KFOR) – A 19-year-old mother is now behind bars in Cleveland County for child neglect.

According to court records, Victoria Bolton admitted her 2-month-old son to the Norman Regional Healthplex on Tuesday night.

“My heart dropped. I didn’t know what to think. Anger, sadness I went up there and lost it,” said Bolton’s father, Timothy Searl.

Searl and his wife, Rhetta, showed up at the hospital to find their grandson in the ICU hooked up to intravenous fluids and “all kinds of tubes.”

Searl said the baby was on life support and weighed seven pounds, two ounces.

Bolton’s baby was being treated for dehydration and low body mass when medical personnel called the situation to the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).

When Searl and his wife left to get Bolton clothes, investigators were questioning her about the boy’s health.

Bolton told investigators that her son became ill on Sunday.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) conducted a wellness check on Bolton and her baby that day, according to an affidavit.

Court records show that DHS told Bolton the boy needed to be taken to the hospital immediately.

“(Bolton) said he noticed the child was vomiting and not keeping food down when he fed him a full bottle,” the affidavit read. “She said that she did not see anything medically wrong with the minor and that is why she did not seek medical attention for the minor.”

Bolton also admitted to investigators that she had smoked methamphetamine when she was five months pregnant with her son.

Bolton said her roommates also smoked methamphetamine around her son and she believes one of them slipped drugs into the bottle.

Despite those claims, records show Bolton still allowed his roommates to babysit the boy.

Court records also detail that Bolton’s son was taken to the hospital on January 27 and diagnosed with failure to thrive.

“It’s painful to hear that. It’s kind of hard to put into words on that,” Searl said. “(Bolton) has a big heart. She is always trying to help everyone. She tried to take care of everyone.”

Searl and his wife told KFOR that they are not vouching for their daughter’s innocence, but that her three roommates will also be held responsible.

“There are more aspects to the case that they are trying to talk about. There is a bigger picture of everything that was going on in that house. I just want to know what was really going on. And if (Bolton’s roommates) weren’t, if they weren’t really in on it, then there’s no way that with so many people living in the house, someone couldn’t say they at least didn’t know. Searl said.

Rhetta said Bolton lived with two men and a woman who used to be family friends.

Rhetta told KFOR that the roommate cut ties with her and also made Bolton cut ties with his family, leading to zero communication between them and Bolton for the past month.

Rhetta also claimed that the roommate was very controlling of Bolton and “wouldn’t allow her to be a mother”.

Searl and Rhetta and now I’m wondering why that roommate along with the other two haven’t been arrested yet.

CCSO said they are continuing to look at all aspects of the case, but had no new details to provide as of Friday morning.

Bolton’s parents are also questioning the DHS worker who conducted a wellness check on their daughter and grandson.

Bolton is being held at the Cleveland County Detention Center on $100,000 bond.

Searl said the boy is still in the hospital but is slowly gaining weight and his health is improving.

He and Rhetta hope to keep the boy in their family.

“We’re not going to drop (Bolton) off the face of the Earth, but our main concern is our grandson,” Searl explained.

Rhetta is also asking those listening to Bolton’s story not to ‘vilify’ her.

“Don’t judge her just for the case, because you don’t know all the aspects of the case. Keep my grandson in his prayers. She’s not the only one to blame here. She also has to pay for her part in this. I’m not saying she doesn’t, but she’s not the only one responsible. And she’s not a villain. She is a new mother who is a young mother. She still doesn’t know how to be her mom,” Rhetta stated.

The family is now awaiting word from Norman Regional on whether or not they can have supervised visitation with their grandson.