Ashley Marie Cleek, 21, and Kenneth Cleek, 35, each face one count of child abuse and neglect in connection with the incident. Kenneth Cleek is also charged with public intoxication. They are currently free on bonds.
On Tuesday, the day that the Cleeks were set to appear in court, the Cleeks waived their rights to a preliminary hearing.
"We've made an offer of five years," Kyle Waters, assistant district attorney, said Tuesday.
Whether the five years is suspended or the defendants will be incarcerated will be based on a Department of Corrections (DOC) pre-sentencing report, Waters said. The pre-sentencing report will look at the couple's history to determine whether prison or probation is the best option.
The couple has no prior convictions.
"It appears that this is two individuals who have never been in trouble before," Waters said.
Waters said the pre-sentencing report will be used to investigate and determine whether the couple can be rehabilitated while in prison or on supervised probation.
According to court records, Vian Officer Denis Thomas was first on the scene July 7 after receiving a call from dispatch to conduct a welfare check at a vehicle. When Thomas arrived, all four doors to the vehicle and a spare tire rack were open.
Sequoyah County Sheriff's Deputy Lance Yoakum reported that Thomas saw what appeared to be a baby doll on the ground underneath the driver's side door. But when Thomas approached the vehicle, he saw the doll was actually an infant. An 18-month-old was also discovered in a car seat in the back of the vehicle, police reported.
Authorities believe the mother, who was sitting in the vehicle, may have been holding the baby and dropped it.
According to court records, the baby had a knot on its head, scratches, and was covered in dirt when it was initially taken to Sequoyah Memorial Hospital in Sallisaw. The baby was later transferred to a Tulsa hospital, where it was diagnosed with a bi-lateral skull fracture.
The children were initially placed in the state's custody, but whether they remain there is not known.
Sequoyah County Sheriff Johnny Philpot said following the incident that it appeared prescription drugs, alcohol, or both may have been involved in the incident. Kenneth Cleek was reportedly disoriented at the time of his arrest.
