Couple pleads to sexual abuse of infant

Jun. 22—A judge handed down sentences for a Tahlequah couple who pleaded guilty to multiple charges of child sex abuse.

According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, 37-year-old Jennifer Mason pleaded guilty to one count of child sexual abuse to a child under age 18, and one count of procuring, producing, distributing, or possessing child pornography. Mason was sentenced to 20 years with the Department of Corrections.

Her husband, John Haynes, 44, entered a plea to one count of aggravated possession of child pornography and one count of sexual abuse to a child under 12 on March 25. Haynes was sentenced to 25 years in the DOC, and he will be a lifetime registered sex offender.

The probe began when an Electronic Service Provider reported chat logs suggested Haynes sexually abused an infant, with Mason participating.

"On May 1, 2020, OSBI Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) agents and the Department of Homeland Security Tulsa agents executed a federal search warrant at 12911 W. Southern Oaks in Tahlequah, where Haynes and Jennifer lived," the OSBI stated.

Haynes was booked into the Cherokee County Detention Center. Mason was later found to be involved and arrested in June.

"Based on the investigation and a review of evidence collected during the search warrant, OSBI ICAC agents were able to locate an additional child victim in Virginia who was safely rescued," the OSBI stated.

The investigation was a joint effort with OSBI ICAC and HIS Tulsa with assistance from HSI Springfield, Cherokee Nation Marshal Service, Tulsa Police Department, Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, HSI Dallas Victim Assistance Program, Oklahoma Department of Human Services, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, and the Cherokee County District Attorney's Office.

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