MUSKOGEE, Okla. (KXII) - A McCurtain County man is awaiting sentencing after he entered a guilty plea Monday to child abuse in Indian Country.
According to a press release from The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, Jory L. Bullard pled guilty to willfully and maliciously injuring an 11-month-old child who was in his care at the time.
On June 18, 2019, McCurtain County EMS responded to a 911 call that a baby had been injured.
Upon arrival, first responders found the baby unresponsive and bruised.
The press release states that the baby was flown to a Louisiana hospital, where he underwent surgery for bleeding in his brain and eye.
Bullard provided explanations for the injuries that were inconsistent with the nature and severity of the child’s injuries.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case because the victim is eligible for membership in a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crimes occurred in McCurtain County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation and the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
Bullard was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending the imposition of sentencing.
