Okfuskee County Resident Pleads Guilty To Child Neglect

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Joanna Lee Higgins, age 33, of Okemah, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Child Neglect in Indian Country.

The Indictment alleged that between January 1, 2023, and January 31, 2024, Higgins willfully and maliciously failed to provide two children adequate nurturance, food, clothing, shelter, sanitation, hygiene, medical care, and supervision while responsible for their health, safety, and welfare.

The crime occurred in Okfuskee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The charges arose from an investigation by the Muscogee Creek Nation Lighthorse Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Higgins was remanded into the custody of the United States Marshal Service pending sentencing.

Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Paladino represented the United States.