An Oklahoma man was arrested and charged with child sexual abuse after his 11-year-old stepdaughter gave birth at their home in Muskogee.
Dustin Walker, 34, and Cherie Walker, 33, were arrested last week and originally charged with one count of felony child neglect each after the child gave birth to a full-term baby at home on Aug. 16, court records show. The parents initially claimed they did not know the child was pregnant, and the child had not been to the doctor in over a year.
The charges against the couple were amended on Monday after DNA test results revealed that the stepfather was a 99.9% DNA match for the baby’s father, according to the test shared with NBC News by the Muskogee County District Attorney’s Office.
Dustin Walker is accused of sexually abusing the child, who was 11 years old at the time, on or between Jan. 1 to Aug. 16, resulting in her giving birth to his child, court documents show. The child’s mother, Cherie Walker, was charged with enabling child sexual abuse.
“This is one of the most if not the most serious child sexual abuse and neglect cases I have ever prosecuted,” Muskogee County Assistant District Attorney Janet Hutson said in a statement.
The couple were also charged with six counts of felony child neglect, including for failing to provide the 11-year-old adequate medical care and supervision when she gave birth at home, per court documents. The remaining five counts of child neglect are for allegedly neglecting the five children that they share, aged 2, 4, 6, 7 and 9, on or between Jan. 1 and Aug. 16. The children were “living in deplorable conditions,” according to the documents.
The children were removed from the home on Tuesday, per court records.
“The victims were found to be living in dog feces and had no clothing on,” court documents state.
Bond was set for the couple at $100,000 each, per court records. A sounding docket court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 3.
“Each of the charges against both defendants are punishable by up to life,” Hutson said.
It is not clear if Dustin and Cherie Walker are being represented by attorneys at this time.
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