(Stillwater, Okla.) – A Cushing woman accused of providing malt liquor to three juveniles was arraigned this afternoon from the Payne County Jail on three counts of providing a person under 21 a non-intoxicating beverage – defined as containing more than one-half of 1% alcohol by volume and not more than 3.2% of alcohol by weight.
Janet Sonia Leon, 28, who reportedly told a Cushing police officer she is not a legal citizen of the U.S., could be given as much as a 15-year prison term and a $15,000 fine, if convicted of all three counts. Leon, who was arrested yesterday, was ordered to appear in court Aug. 6, court records show.
Cushing Police Officer Rachel Hentges was sent to the 700 block of E. Cherry Street at 12:42 p.m. on June 21 regarding a disturbance, according to her affidavit filed in court records this week.
In the front yard were five adults, three of whom said they were there “after learning their children had been drinking alcohol the night before,” the affidavit alleged.
A mother “told me that she looked through her daughter’s cell phone and located numerous pictures of juveniles drinking alcohol,” the officer wrote in her affidavit.
A father said he learned from his daughter that a large group of juveniles had left the residence to go to another location to swim, the affidavit said.
“According to his daughter, the juveniles consumed alcohol, which had been purchased by a woman named Janet,” living at the residence, the affidavit alleged.
A male juvenile who also lived there “denied Leon had purchased the alcohol for himself and his friends and reported he did not know where the alcohol came from,” the affidavit said.
When the officer spoke to the defendant, “Leon did not have any type of identification and informed me that she was not a legal citizen of the United States and had no documentation or credentials to be in the county,” Hentges alleged in her affidavit.
“She denied she bought alcohol for the juveniles,” the affidavit said.
She said that the juveniles left her residence at about 9:30 p.m. and returned later, the affidavit said.
Leon said that she and her girlfriend “were in their bedroom all night and were not aware of any underage drinking taking place,” the affidavit said.
About 15 minutes later at the police station, the Cushing officer interviewed a female juvenile, who said two male juveniles “went with Janet to go buy alcohol,” the affidavit alleged. The girl said they returned to the residence about 9 p.m. after dropping off the alcohol at the grandparents’ house of one of the juveniles, the affidavit alleged.
According to the girl, all of the juveniles were taken to the grandparents’ house by Leon’s girlfriend, the affidavit alleged.
She said “they began drinking Smirnoff Ice purchased by Leon,” the affidavit alleged.
Another female juvenile said the two male juveniles went with Leon to buy the alcohol, the affidavit alleged.
“She told me the Smirnoff Ice was grape and green apple flavored and she believed there were four 6-packs of the alcohol at the house when they arrived,” the Cushing officer alleged in her affidavit.
On June 24, the Cushing officer went to L & N Liquor at 824 E. Main to watch surveillance video from June 20, the affidavit said.
On the camera at 8:45 p.m., “Leon entered the store, went immediately to the east wall and selected two 6-pack cases of Bacardi Green Apple malt liquor,” which she paid for with cash and left about a minute later, the affidavit alleged.
On July 5, the officer returned to Leon’s residence to re-interview her, the affidavit said.
“After being informed of the video of herself at L & N Liquor, Leon advised me she had gone to the liquor store and purchased alcohol for herself. This was contrary to the story she provided in my initial interview,” when she denied leaving her residence, the Cushing officer alleged in her affidavit.
“When she learned of the video, Leon’s version of the events of the evening changed. Leon stated she went to the liquor store and then immediately went home.
“Leon denied she stopped anywhere else or that she purchased the alcohol for the purpose of providing it,” to the male juvenile and his friends, the affidavit said.
“Leon told me that her girlfriend took the juveniles to the house with the pool, but did not know they were consuming alcohol there,” the Cushing officer alleged in her affidavit.
After speaking to Leon, the Cushing officer interviewed one of the male juveniles at the police station, the affidavit said.
That juvenile said that he and another male juvenile “went with Janet Leon to both liquor stores in Cushing where she purchased green apple and grape flavored Smirnoff Ice malt liquor beverages for them,” the affidavit alleged.
He reported that Leon left the liquor store, picked up her girlfriend and brought her back to the residence, the affidavit alleged.
He said that he and a male juvenile along with Leon then drove to his grandfather’s residence to drop off the Smirnoff Ice, the affidavit alleged.
“Throughout the investigation, Leon was untruthful and continued to deny involvement in purchasing the alcohol for the six juveniles involved,” the officer alleged in her affidavit.
“While not all of the juveniles admitted consuming the alcohol, their account of Janet Leon purchasing the alcohol, transporting it to a location where she knew the juveniles would be, and providing transportation back to that location to consume the alcohol was consistent,” the affidavit alleged.
“All of the juveniles involved, with the exception of the two who live in the household with Leon, reported she purchased the alcohol for them and provided it to them on June 20, 2015,” the affidavit alleged.
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