MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Cody Dale Cole, age 33, of Park Hill, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Child Neglect in Indian Country, punishable by a term of up to life imprisonment, and a fine of $250,000.
The Indictment alleged that on or about April 16, 2026, Cole willfully and maliciously failed and omitted to protect a child under the age of 18 from exposure to the use and possession of illegal drugs while responsible for that child’s health, safety, and welfare.
The crime occurred in Cherokee County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, 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.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Cole will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Morgan Muzljakovich represented the United States.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Eastern District of Oklahoma — U.S. Department of Justice press release.