Grandmother charged after 11-year-old girl gives birth at family’s Oklahoma home
An Oklahoma woman has been charged after authorities say she failed to report her 11-year-old granddaughter’s pregnancy and allowed multiple children to live in dangerous conditions.
Michelle Justus, the maternal grandmother of the child, is facing six counts of felony child neglect, according to the Muskogee County District Attorney’s Office. The charges relate to the 11-year-old, who gave birth at home last month, and five other children living in the household.
Prosecutors allege that Justus, who lived across the street and acted as a caretaker for the children, was aware of the pregnancy but never alerted authorities. They also claim she failed to provide proper supervision and medical care, allowing the children to remain in what were described as deplorable living conditions.
Justus is currently being held on a $75,000 bond. No attorney is listed as representing her at this time.
Court documents state that Justus saw the 11-year-old nearly every day, including on August 16 — the day the child gave birth. Despite this, officials say she did not seek help or report the situation.
The girl’s mother, Cherie Walker, 33, and stepfather, Dustin Walker, 34, were arrested and charged in August. DNA testing confirmed that Dustin Walker is the father of the child’s baby, with a 99.9% probability.
Cherie Walker has been charged with enabling child sexual abuse, while Dustin Walker faces charges of sexually abusing a child under the age of 12. Both are also charged with six counts of felony child neglect. They remain in custody without bond. Their legal representatives have not responded to requests for comment.
Assistant District Attorney Janet Hutson called the case “one of the most, if not the most, serious child sexual abuse and neglect cases I have ever prosecuted.”
The five other children — ages 9, 7, 6, 4, and 2 — have been removed from the home. Court filings describe the living conditions as unsanitary and hazardous, noting that dog feces were scattered throughout the home and the children were found unclothed.
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