'Find truth, seek justice': Tulsa County jury finds man guilty of child sexual abuse

It only took Tulsa County jurors 48 minutes to find a Tulsa man guilty of sexually abusing his daughter for years and getting her pregnant.

Prosecutors say Ronald Fetters has been abusing children for decades in several states.

Ashley Nix has been a prosecutor for nine years and says she's never seen anything like this.

Timeline of Abuse:

When Fetters was 27 years old, he was arrested in Florida for having sex with an 11-year-old and later married her when she was 14. Those charges were dropped.

1991: Both he and his son had genital warts, and doctors in FL and NC expressed concern, but Fetters left before an investigation

In Ohio:

July 1994-October 1994: In Ohio, child services had 6 calls about Fetters performing vaginal exams on a 14-year-old pregnant neighbor.

October 1994: His 5 oldest children were removed due to allegations of abuse and neglect.

November 1994: Two children made repeated disclosures of sexual and physical abuse.

March 1995: A counselor said two of his children endured cruel punishment and sexual abuse from Fetters.

June 1996: A doctor said in an evaluation that any child around Fetters was at risk of physical and sexual abuse.

In Florida:

March 2005: Posting nude photos of an 18-month-old online, and had a lengthy history of child porn.

April 2009: Fetters had 22 child abuse investigations against him, but no charges

Fetters kept cameras in every room, so when victims were interviewed by the Florida Department of Children and Families, they were afraid to tell the truth.

"This is an example of catastrophic failures," said Nix.

2022 in Tulsa

January 11: Fetters' stepdaughter had called police for a well-being check. She said a victim sent her pictures of abuse and poor living conditions.

The victim also said her father was raping her.

2023

February 13: Fetters' daughter gives birth.

March 3: Fetters told police he didn't know who the father of the baby was, and the idea that it was him was revolting.

March 6: Fetters told police he didn't want his DNA tested after talking to an attorney

March 8: Fetters was served with a warrant to give his DNA for testing, and police submitted his DNA for a paternity test at the TPD forensic lab

March 14: Results from the paternity test came back and said it was 2.8 trillion times more likely he was the father of the baby than a random person.

The Tulsa County District Attorney's Office files one count of incest and two counts of child sexual abuse.

2025

September 12: Fetters is convicted of all three charges

"Part of what this office stands for, as we say, you know, find truth, seek justice, and really, but for the charges in Tulsa County. I don't know that any of this would have come to light," said Nix.

Ronald Fetters represented himself, and in his closing arguments, said he knew the facts were horrifying and if the jury could keep an open mind, they would be better people than he is, and he said at his age, any sentence is a life sentence.