Of all the problems of Delaware County none are as disheartening as those which victimize children. Please be warned, what follows are descriptions of events, all tragic, which touched upon and in some case ended the lives of innocent children.

We at Bubbaworld debated long and hard as to whether we should present this particular portion of Bubbaworld's Delaware County coverage. Ultimately it was decided that only by exposing these incidents can there be any hope of preventing their happening again.

It's been said "Bad things come in three's.". If that's true hopefully there will be no more incidents similar to these three freak accidents:

In a Tulsa World report dated 3/12/01 and titled "Jay girl is fatally shot in gun-cleaning accident" it was reported that Lindsey Wiley, aged 12, of Jay, Oklahoma, died from a bullet wound to the left cheek. She died while she was being taken by helicopter to a hospital in Joplin, Mo. A .22-caliber rifle her 16 year old brother was cleaning discharged with the bullet striking the girl in the face.

Quoting from the referenced Tulsa World report:

Delaware County Sheriff Lenden Woodruff said the 12-year-old and her 16-year-old brother, Grant, were in the living room of the family's residence, about six miles west of Jay on Oklahoma 28, when the accident occurred.

Woodruff said the brother thought he had all the ammunition out of the gun. But there was a live shell in the chamber and the gun accidentally went off, striking the girl in the cheek, the bullet piercing her nose.

On 5/04/01 the Tulsa World in a report titled, "Colcord boy, 4, dies from severe horse bites" revealed that Bailey Stockton, aged 4, died while in flight to a Springdale, Ark., hospital from his home in Colcord, Oklahoma.

The Tulsa World report quoted Sheriff Lenden Woodruff extensivly:

The sheriff said the boy died from numerous severe bites to the head and body. The attack occurred around 6:45 p.m.

Woodruff said the horse, owned by the boy's family, was grazing in a pasture about 50 yards from the family's house. The boy was playing in the front yard just a few feet from his home's front door, the sheriff said.

Woodruff said the horse jumped a wire fence and immediately began to bite the boy. The youngster's step-father, Michael Weaver, saw the attack, got his gun, and shot and killed the horse, the sheriff said.

However, before Weaver could kill the animal, the horse had bitten Bailey on the head and body and ripped off the boy's right arm, the sheriff said.

On 7/20/01, the Tulsa World in a report titled "Girl, 14, wounded in freak rifle accident" it was revealed that Kanisha Foster, age 14, of Jay, Oklahoma was listed in critical condition at an Arkansas hospital after undergoing several hours of surgery for two gunshot wounds to the abdomen. The report went on to quote the Delaware County Sheriff as follows:

Delaware County Sheriff Lenden Woodruff said Foster was moving covers from a couch, where the rifle was lying, when the gun got caught in the material. Woodruff said Foster grabbed the end of the rifle's barrel, pulling on it when it discharged. Woodruff said he believes that because of reflex action, the gun discharged a second time.

While these reports are heartbreaking, even they can not rival the shock and horror arising from a news report we at Bubbaworld are calling "Bouncing Baby Boy - Off The Wall".

This terrible incident of child abuse was reported by the Tulsa World in a report titled "Jay woman charged in nephew's child abuse" and dated 6/8/01.

In this report it was revealed that Terie Schloss, 35, of Jay, Oklahoma had been charged in Delaware County District Court with child abuse after medical reports showed that a child left in her care had been thrown against a wall.

Quoting from that Tulsa World report:

Schloss was arraigned on Thursday and is being held in the county jail in lieu of $10,000 bail, officials said.

Assistant District Attorney Kathy Baker said the child was brought to the Mease Medical Clinic in Jay on Tuesday just before 10 a.m.

Baker said that, according to the medical report, the infant was lifeless, barely breathing and unconscious and had to be flown immediately to a hospital in Joplin, Mo., for treatment.

Baker said the child had bruises all over his body and had extensive damage to his face and head.

Baker said the child's teeth had cut through his lips, and his face was smashed from an apparent blow into a wall.

The report went on to indicate that the child was unconscious and in respiratory failure and was almost dead when Jay EMS personnel arrived. Baker credited the EMS personnel with keeping him alive.

The Tulsa World report indicated that the child is the son of Rebecca Schloss, of Sand Springs, and John Schloss, at the time incarcerated in the Tulsa Jail awaiting trial on drug charges.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of criminal justice, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those interested in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.