Choctaw Nation Jury Convicts McAlester Resident of Sexual Abuse of a Child Within Choctaw Reservation

DURANT, OKLA. – A Choctaw Nation jury found Jodie Wayne Walters, 29, of McAlester, Okla., guilty of three felony counts of child sexual abuse in violation of the CNO Criminal Code on October 31, 2023. In addition, the jury found Walters guilty of one count of felony child neglect.

The jury trial began on Monday, October 30, 2023, and concluded with the guilty verdicts. Based on the verdicts, the defendant is facing up to three years imprisonment on each felony charge for a maximum of nine years of imprisonment. Sentencing in tribal courts must conform with the federal Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010, which imposes such limits. Choctaw Nation District Judge Richard Branam presided over the trial.

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma was represented by Assistant Tribal Prosecutors Austin Browning and D. Michael Haggerty, II. According to Browning, the guilty verdicts were the result of an interagency investigation involving Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police and the McAlester Police Department.

“This trial shows that here on the Choctaw Nation reservation, we are working cooperatively across the public safety sector to protect our children,” said Browning. “Without the hard work of our investigators and investigators at the McAlester Police Department, Mr. Walters may have escaped accountability for his crimes. This jury listened intently to the evidence and voted unanimously to hold Mr. Walters accountable for this sexual abuse.”