An Oklahoma man has been charged with child sexual abuse after his 11-year-old stepdaughter gave birth at home earlier this month.
Dustin Walker’s wife, 33-year-old Cherie Walker, was charged with enabling child sexual abuse, NBC News reported.
According to previous reports from CrimeOnline, the 11-year-old gave birth at home on August 16 without any medical assistance. The Walkers claimed unawareness of her pregnancy. Cherie Walker’s mother, known only as Michelle, mentioned that her daughter claimed the father was a 12-year-old boy and that the youngsters had simply been “curious.”
The initial arrest last week charged the Walkers with child neglect, but on Monday, charges were modified after DNA results indicated that Dustin Walker, 34, had a 99.9 percent probability of being the baby’s father.
In a statement, Muskogee County Assistant District Attorney Janet Hutson remarked, “This is among the most severe cases of child sexual abuse and neglect I have ever prosecuted.”
The couple also faces six counts of child neglect concerning the 11-year-old girl and her five siblings, aged 2, 4, 6, 7, and 9. The children, who have been removed from their home, were found “living in deplorable conditions,” according to court documents.
The 11-year-old had not seen a doctor in more than a year, officials said, and was apparently homeschooled.
The Walkers are due in court on September 3.
