A father charged with first-degree murder by child abuse pleaded not guilty to the charge.

During a formal arraignment this week, Marin Clay Allison, 24, entered the not-guilty plea.

Allison was charged in June after an investigation into the death of his 14-month-old son, Ethan Allison, in May at a Durant residence.

According to an affidavit, by Durant Police Lt. Chris Marcy, Allison, who said he was ill at the time, admitted to becoming frustrated with the boy on the evening of May 20. He said he grabbed him by his clothes and pulled him off his feet. The boy’s head then hit a tile floor with much force.

The affidavit states that Allison stayed up all night researching head injuries and coma symptoms on the Internet. He called 911 at about 5:45 a.m. May 21 after the boy stopped breathing. According to police, Allison first said his son was injured from a fall, but during another interview June 11, he admitted the injuries were not from an accidental fall.

Ethan died May 22 at Children’s Medical Hospital in Dallas, Texas, after he was taken off of life support.

A doctor at Children’s Hospital completed an affidavit that states Ethan died of a severe and acute traumatic brain injury, According to Bryan County District Attorney Emily Redman, there is specific language in the first-degree murder statute that states the death of a child as the result of child abuse is considered first-degree murder.

Allison is free on bond and his next court appearance is for a disposition docket on Dec. 10.

In other crimes, three people were taken into custody after a pursuit in Durant Wednesday evening. The chase started at 6:53 p.m. and involved numerous officers, including the Durant Police Department and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, before the vehicle was stopped on West Arkansas Street. The vehicle had been stolen, according to police.

In other news, Durant firefighters were dispatched at 4:13 p.m. Wednesday to the 200 block of East Georgia Street about a natural gas leak. According to a department report, a gas meter riser had been hit by a vehicle. Firefighters stood by until an Oklahoma Natural Gas worker arrived.