Man who drove teen and her baby from Harvard to Kentucky pleads guilty to aiding an abduction

An Indiana man pleaded guilty Thursday to assisting in a child abduction when he drove a teen girl and her baby from Harvard to Kentucky.

Michael Walton, 24, pleaded guilty to aiding or abetting a child abduction, a Class 4 felony, and was sentenced to two years of probation, according to the judgment order filed in McHenry County court. He also was sentenced to 12 days in the county jail but given credit for six days already served, and the sentence was considered complete. He is ordered to pay $1,674 in fines and fees and comply with all recommendations of mental health and drug and alcohol evaluations. He is not to have any contact with the girl involved in the case.

Walton initially was charged with child abduction for “intentionally” luring a child younger than 17 into his vehicle without consent from her parent or guardian. That charge was dismissed, according to the indictment.

Harvard police said that on June 22, 2022, Walton picked up the 16-year-old girl, whom he knew, and her 5-month-old baby near Harvard Diggins Library. The girl was staying with family in Harvard at the time, police said. She and her child “were willingly picked up,” according to the Harvard Police Department Facebook page at the time. An intensive investigation was initiated with the assistance of local police departments, agencies from the state of Indiana and federal law enforcement, Harvard police said.

Walton’s attorney, William Bligh, said Walton had known the girl for a few years, and she was a family friend. This was not a case of a stranger meeting a minor, picking her up and driving off with her. He thought he was helping her, Bligh said.

Walton and the teen with her baby turned themselves in to the police department in Cynthiana, Kentucky, unharmed, Harvard Police Chief Tyson Bauman said at the time.

In the judgment order, Judge Mark Gerhardt noted that “the commission of the offense was induced or facilitated by someone other than” Walton. The judge also noted that Walton has no previous history of delinquency, has led a law-abiding life and is likely to comply with the terms of his probation. The judge also allowed Walton’s probation to be transferred to the county where he lives, according to the order.