Dad was high when 4-year-old drowned, Oklahoma police say. Couple charged with murder

The father and stepmother of a 4-year-old have been charged with murder after the boy drowned Aug. 13 in Oklahoma while his dad was high, police say.

Tina Powers, 35, told police she knew her husband, Steven Powers II, 29, was under the influence of “illegal drugs” when she left his two small children in his care at a lake near Toppers while she went to the store, police said in a Facebook post.

According to KJRH, Tina Powers is the children’s stepmother.

Police say the children weren’t wearing flotation devices.

“Tina Powers admitted to Investigators that the 4-year-old victim could not swim and was in the water when she left him with her husband, and that neither of the children were wearing water safety devices, such as life jackets or floaties,” police said in the post.

The child was still alive with a “faint pulse” when police arrived but died two days later in the hospital, police say.

“Make no mistake. This was no accident. An accident is something that can’t be prevented. This child should not be dead. This could have been prevented.” Wagoner County Sheriff Chris Elliott said in a statement.

The couple was arrested on Aug. 23 and have been charged with second-degree murder, police say. They are being held at Wagoner County Detention Center. Bond is set at $250,000, police say.

This story was originally published August 26, 2019 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Dad was high when 4-year-old drowned, Oklahoma police say. Couple charged with murder."