Claremore Woman Celebrates Thanksgiving After Spending Half Her Life In Prison

On a day of thanks, a Claremore woman has even more to be thankful for this year.

Dusty Trammell has lived a life of crime and spent half her life in prison, but this is the first Thanksgiving in nearly 20 years, she's a free woman.

Trammell said a normal Thanksgiving for her was drugs, people overdosing, or nodding off over a stove, but not anymore. Dusty has a new life, and this year she is spending Thanksgiving with her 6-month-old baby boy.

Trammell said her son Grayson is her pride and joy and what keeps her from going back down a dark road.

"I love this little guy more than I could have loved anything in the world,” said Trammell.

Trammell spent 17 years in prison since she was 18 years old. She's a five-time convicted felon, with 76 felonies on her record. She was told several times she wouldn't live to see her 20th birthday.

"I was ignorant to a life outside of crime. I was ignorant to a life outside of drugs. I was ignorant to a life outside the penitentiary. That was my life,” said Trammell.

After spending her life running from the law, in hand cuffs or behind bars, it was Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton who helped lead Trammell to a new life.

Through a program called Stand In the Gap, Walton and his wife became mentors to Trammell. Trammell spent Thanksgiving with the Walton’s last year, which was her first outside of prison in nearly 20 years.

"She was a career criminal. She is what we hunt. You can have a short conversation with Dusty, hang up the phone, and be thankful for the simple things that you've got in life,” said Walton.

Trammell said she's had to relearn how to do life. She has been taught how to dress like a woman, how to wear makeup, but most importantly, how to be a mom.

"Every day I wake up to this big bright smiling face, and I know that God shined down on me and said I'm going to take what the enemy meant for evil, I'm going to turn it for good,” said Trammell.

Trammell took another big step in life a few weeks ago when she got her ankle monitor off.

Trammell is now a volunteer mentor at Compassion Women's Center in Claremore, where she is helping women just like her.

"If my story can impact one person, I've done something. Just one. Just one person,” said Trammell.