Girl Removed From Home After Having Stepfather's Baby

Originally published by The Associated Press, October 29, 2000

MUSKEGON (Michigan) — A Family Court official removed a 16-year-old girl and her 14-year-old brother from their home after the girl's stepfather was charged with fathering two children with her.

The girl gave birth Tuesday to a boy, who was found dead in a trash bin at Muskegon High School. The girl's stepfather confessed to being the baby's father, authorities said.

Referee Charles Covello on Friday placed the teens with a relative, along with the girl's 18-month-old child.

The girl's mother knew or had reason to know of the sexual abuse and did nothing to protect her children, said Timothy Maat, assistant Muskegon County prosecutor. "The son was subject to a significant amount of criminal abuse. There's a well-established history of domestic violence, and the mother has shown an unwillingness to protect."

Covello also ordered the girl's mother to undergo a psychological evaluation. Any visits with her children and grandchild must be supervised, he said.

The 44-year-old stepfather was arraigned Thursday on charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. After his arrest, he confessed to molesting the girl since she was 11, and also admitted to being the father of the first baby, investigators said.

Authorities are still weighing whether to press criminal charges against the girl or her mother, the Muskegon Chronicle reported.

If convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, the stepfather faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.