Woman Gets 10 Years' Probation for Marrying Her Biological Mother
After a period of estrangement, the mother and daughter reconnected and "hit it off."
An Oklahoma woman who married her biological mother was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to committing incest, officials said.
Misty Spann, 26, will spend 10 years on probation for illegally marrying her mother, 44-year-old Patricia Spann, who is identified as Patricia Clayton on their marriage license application, filed in March 2016, online records show.
Misty Spann had been set for a bench trial Tuesday but instead pleaded guilty, according to records obtained by the Tulsa World.
Authorities learned of the illegal relationship between mother and daughter after a child welfare investigator who visited the family on an unrelated case reported them to police, the Duncan Police Department said in September 2016.
At the time, the pair had been living as a couple for about a year.
Patricia Spann told the welfare worker she lost contact with her three kids for years after their paternal grandmother was granted custody, according to court records obtained by The Lawton Constitution.
When she reconnected with Misty Spann, they “hit it off,” Patricia Spann allegedly told the welfare worker.
Patricia Spann said she didn’t think they violated any laws because her name was no longer on Misty Spann’s birth certificate.
Officials at the time said the women were living as a married couple and not just for financial gain.
Under Oklahoma law, marrying a close relative is considered incest whether or not a sexual relationship exists.
District Judge Ken Graham gave Misty Spann a deferred sentence of 10 years, at least two of which must be under the supervision of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, online court records show.
Patricia Spann, who is also charged with incest, will appear in court in January.
This is not the first time she has married one of her children, officials said.
In 2008 “Patricia Ann Clayton Spann” married her son, Jody Spann Jr., state court records show.
He filed for an annulment 15 months later, citing “incest” as the reason, authorities said.
Misty Spann also set out to dissolve her and her mother’s marriage, filing for an annulment “by reason of illegality and fraud” on Sept. 1, according to online court records.
She reportedly said her mother told her she had received legal advice indicating that their marriage was legal.
The union was annulled on Oct. 12.