John Bargar, 35, was charged on Sept. 4 with negligent homicide in the death of a baby girl.
According to the court affidavit, first responders were called at 1:52 a.m. Jan. 4 to 1406 S. First St. in Cabot because 2-month-old Annabell Strohm was not breathing.
Emergency personnel began first aid until MEMS arrived and transported the child to North Metro Medical Center.
According to the police report, Annabell had been placed on the couch by Debbie Bayles, the girl’s babysitter. Bayles said, when she went to bed, Bargar and the baby were in the living room. Bargar lay down with Annabell on a mattress on the living room floor.
Bayles said she got out of bed to get something to drink and checked on the baby.
She found the girl lying underneath Bargar. The baby was still warm and had stomach sounds, but she was pronounced dead at 2:28 a.m. at the hospital.
Bargar was still asleep when police arrived. Officers had to yell and shake him several times to wake him.
Bargar told police he had four glasses of wine before going to bed. Police performed a field-sobriety test on Bargar, which he failed.
When detectives interviewed Bayles on Jan. 6, she told police that, when she entered the living room, Bargar was halfway on the mattress lying on his stomach. He had his left arm lying across the baby, who was on her back. The baby was cold on one side and did not move.
Detectives spoke with Bargar on Jan. 7. Bargar told police he used methamphetamines on Jan. 1 and 2.
He said he slept through the commotion because he was a heavy sleeper. He said he had not “crashed” from using meth. Bargar said he did not feel intoxicated and the amount of alcohol he drank did not impair him.
According to the affidavit, the state medical examiner determined the cause of the child’s death to be accidental positional asphyxia.
The state Crime Lab determined that Bargar’s blood alcohol content was .09 and no other substances were detected.
Bargar will appear in Cabot District Court at 9 a.m. Dec. 16 and 17.
