Wister man pleads guilty to child neglect

MUSKOGEE – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Michael Traig Pride, 33, of Wister entered a guilty plea to two counts of Child Neglect in Indian Country.

On May 11, 2022, while responsible for the health, safety, and welfare of two children, Pride willfully failed to protect them from harm when he failed to properly secure them in child passenger restraint systems, then drove without a valid driver’s license and at an excessive rate of speed.  The crimes occurred in LeFlore County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The charges arose from an investigation by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the City of Talihina Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Edward Snow, 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.

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