A Roland couple is facing felony child sexual abuse charges after authorities discovered two minor children were allegedly being sexually abused in their residence.
Mark L. Clifton, 58, is charged with three felony counts of child sexual abuse and received a $30,000 bond while his wife, Lois Clifton, 69, is charged with enabling the alleged sexual abuse and received a $15,000 bond. Both are now scheduled to appear for a 9 a.m. April 15 preliminary hearing with Judge Matt Orendorff, according to court records.
Roland Police officer Shawn Booth reported on Dec. 10. 2023, that he was dispatched to a residence on Garrison Creek in regards to a disturbance where he found Lois Clifton crying outside the residence.
Lois Clifton said that when she went inside the home, she allegedly saw Mark Clifton exposing himself to one of the minor children. She said when she told him she was leaving, Mark Clifton refused to let her so she contacted authorities.
Lois Clifton claimed one of the minors told her Mark Clifton had allegedly exposed himself and touched one of the children inappropriately, according to the probable cause affidavit filed in the case.
She claimed that when she called police, Mark Clifton said he was going to bed. Booth reported finding him still in the bed, covered up and asked him to get up. He then told the officer he couldn’t because he didn’t have any clothing on. After a blanket was removed from him, Booth said Mark Clifton was wearing a pair of shorts but that he’d taken them off, reportedly exposing himself to the officer. After telling him to get dressed several times, Mark Clifton eventually complied and got dressed.
The officer also reported that Mark Clifton’s speech was slurred and he could smell a strong odor of alcohol reportedly coming from his person. He was then escorted to the living room and Sequoyah County Sheriff’s investigator Jason Stone was called to assist with the investigation.
After speaking again with Lois Clifton, she and the two juveniles were asked to go to the police department to fill out a witness statement, where family members of the juveniles were also contacted.
Mark Clifton was transported to the Sequoyah County Detention Center and booked in on his charges.
Stone reported that following interviews, Lois Clifton reportedly knew about the alleged sexual abuse. She claimed that Mark Clifton did not know what he was doing due to his intoxication and that he slept naked with the two children “all the time,” according to the probable cause affidavit.
District Attorney Jack Thorp said each charge of child sexual abuse and the charge of enabling child sexual abuse are punishable by imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections not exceeding life imprisonment, or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by a fine of not less than $500 nor more than $5,000, or both fine and imprisonment.
