The Tulsa Police Department determined the 12-year-old girl was with Juan Miranda-Jara, then 24, when he accompanied her to the hospital when she was in labor. The father seemed to have no idea that what he had done was illegal, cops said at the time.
An Oklahoma mother who allowed her daughter, 12, to enter into a relationship and later have a child with a man, 24, is heading to prison.
Court records show that Desiree Castaneda, 35, entered a guilty plea to charges of enabling child sexual abuse and child neglect last week just days before her case was set to head to trial.
Judge Clifford J. Smith then sentenced her to 15 years in prison on each count, with the sentences set to run concurrent and Castaneda receiving credit for time served.
She will also have to register as a sex offender upon her release from prison, according to court records.
Authorities arrested Castaneda two weeks after her daughter gave birth in July 2021.
The father of the child, Juan Miranda-Jara, has been incarcerated since the day he and the victim arrived at an Oklahoma hospital so that the 12-year-old could give birth.
Concerned hospital staffers notified authorities soon after when they became concerned about the relationship between Miranda-Jara and the girl.
The Tulsa Police Department then determined it was a 12-year-old girl who was with Miranda-Jara, who according to police seemed to have no idea that what he had done was illegal.
“The suspect, Juan Miranda-Jara, stated that he was in a relationship with the 12-year-old victim that started in October of 2020. The victim was at the hospital and was in labor delivering his child at the time,” states the arrest report from the Tulsa Police Department. “Miranda-Jara admitted that he is the biological father of the 12-year-old’s baby.”
After arresting Miranda-Jara, investigators came to learn new details including the fact that the victim's mother hosted a baby shower for the couple just before the birth of the child.
“The investigation revealed that the victim’s mother and family members were aware of the relationship between the victim and Miranda-Jara,” Castaneda’s arrest report claims. “The family permitted the relationship, and there are photos of the family throwing a baby shower for the victim and the suspect.”
Miranda-Jara, now 26, entered a guilty plea to first-degree rape of a minor under 14 back in March 2022, according to Tulsa County Court records.
Those same records show that Miranda-Jara was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He will receive credit for time served but must complete 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
In Oklahoma, individuals convicted of crimes such as first-degree murder or first-degree rape of a minor are all required to serve 85 percent of their prison sentence.
The judge also ordered Miranda-Jara to pay approximately $1,000 in fines and court costs, and he will be forced to register as a sex offender.
Castaneda is also facing federal drugs charges for allegedly manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine in an ongoing case in the U.S. District Court for Northern District of Oklahoma. She has yet to enter a plea in that case,
The victim is now 14 and without a parent as her father is also in the midst of serving a 12-year sentence after being convicted of rape, according to the Tulsa Police Department.
