(Stillwater, Okla.) – A Stillwater man has been jailed on $25,000 bail on a felony charge of attacking his wife while she was lying in a hospital bed at the Stillwater Medical Center Emergency Room on Halloween.
Myron Ian Dent, 24, a convicted burglar with a drug problem according to court records, had been released from prison about seven months earlier, state Department of Corrections records show.
Dent was given a court-appointed attorney at his arraignment from the Payne County Jail last week and ordered to appear before a judge on Dec. 3 when he can seek a preliminary hearing on his latest charge.
If convicted of domestic assault and battery after multiple prior felony convictions, Dent could be imprisoned for four years to life, according to the charge filed by Payne County Assistant District Attorney Debra Vincent last week.
Dent was arrested at the Stillwater Medical Center at 10:36 a.m. on Oct. 31, according to an affidavit by Stillwater Police Officer John Stanbery.
About 15 minutes earlier, the Stillwater officer was sent to the hospital on a report that an employee had seen Dent “with his hand on or around the neck of his wife,” the affidavit alleged.
Dent’s wife said “while she was lying on her left side in the hospital bed, Myron Dent made the threat to kick her teeth in and grabbed her on the right side of her neck and forced her head and neck into the bed.
“The victim stated she held her breath due to the amount of force being applied to the area of her neck.
“The victim stated several times that she was afraid Myron Dent would kill her, get revenge against her or harm her animals.
“The victim stated she had been the victim of domestic abuse at the hands of Myron Dent on numerous occasions with the most recent occurrence last night when he pushed her into a machine at a casino.
“The victim stated in the past Myron Dent had made threats against her with a knife and had cut her on the back of the arm during a physical altercation. The victim stated numerous times she was afraid Myron Dent would kill her,” the affidavit alleged.
The victim “had visible injuries that were approximately one-half inch wide and one inch long with spacing between the injured areas that was consistent with injuries caused by a human hand grabbing the area of the neck.
“The injured area appeared to have been caused by the suspect’s fingers grasping the neck and was slightly swollen and had visible signs of fresh bruising that continued to grow darker by blood getting closer to the skin surface,” the affidavit said.
Dent had been released from prison in March after serving about half of three concurrent four-year sentences for three second-degree burglaries in Payne County, the latest in 2015 for which he was ordered to serve six years’ probation after his incarceration. Dent had earlier been placed on seven years’ probation for burglaries in 2013 and 2014, but those sentences were revoked in 2016 to concurrent prison terms, court records show.
A DOC probation and parole officer has recommended that part of Dent’s probation in his latest Payne County burglary be revoked due to violations, including a Kay County charge of domestic violence against his sister in Ponca City on Aug. 5, court records show.
“On April 12, Dent admitted to using methamphetamine,” as well as testing positive for the drug on April 19 and April 27, the report said. “On June 27, Dent admitted to using methamphetamine,” the report said.
“On April 19, Dent was instructed to complete a substance abuse evaluation with Bridgeway in Ponca City,” where he had reportedly been living, but he missed his appointment, the report said.
***
