A Vian resident has pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of child abuse stemming from a 2025 incident on the Cherokee Nation Reservation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced.
Grant W. Morris, 25, admitted to one count of child abuse in Indian Country, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.
According to the indictment, Morris willfully harmed and endangered a child under the age of 18 on July 1, 2025, causing swelling and bruising. The offense occurred in Sequoyah County within Cherokee Nation boundaries, giving the case federal jurisdiction.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sequoyah County Sheriff ’s Office.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jason A. Robertson accepted Morris’s plea and ordered a presentence investigation report. A U.S. District Court judge will determine Morris’s sentence after reviewing federal sentencing guidelines and other statutory considerations.
Morris remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Morgan Muzljakovich.
