Henryetta Resident Convicted Of Child Abuse

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Zion Alexander Canard, age 24, of Henryetta, Oklahoma, was found guilty of one count of Child Abuse in Indian Country following a federal bench trial.

The non-jury trial consisted of the presentation of evidence on August 14, 2023, and concluded with the guilty verdict.

During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on September 12, 2022, Canard abused an infant, resulting in cuts, bruises, and a brain hemorrhage.  The crime occurred in Hughes County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The guilty verdict was the result of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police, the Tulsa Police Department, and the Glenpool Police Department.

The Honorable Keith Starrett, Senior U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, sitting by appointment, presided over the trial in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and ordered the completion of a presentence report. The sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Canard was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal until sentencing.

Assistant United States Attorney Caila M. Cleary represented the United States.