A Fort Yates woman has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in the neglect and abuse of two young children.
Shayla Left Hand, 22, was sentenced before Chief US District Judge Daniel L. Hovland to serve a total of 20 years in prison and five years of supervised release.
On February 8, 2017, Left Hand pled guilty to an Information charging her with four counts of Child Neglect in Indian Country and one count of Child Abuse in Indian Country.
The charges stem from an incident in which a four-year-old male child was found to have severe burns covering his body. The child was immediately taken to Indian Health Services, where doctors found that a significant portion of the boy’s body had second or third-degree burns and that the child could possibly die.
Further investigation revealed that Left Hand would leave the four-year-old boy, along with another three-year-old child, locked in the home with a padlock while away from the residence. Left Hand subsequently admitted to pouring scalding water on the boy because the boy messed his pants.
The children were transported by air ambulance to a burn unit located in Minnesota, where they received treatment for their injuries. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs-Standing Rock and the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Bismarck.
Assistant US Attorney Brandi Sasse Russell prosecuted the case. Sentencing for co-defendant Calvin Crow Eagle is scheduled for June 19, 2017, at 10:00a.m.
Left Hand was also ordered to pay a $500 special assessment to the Crime Victims’ Fund, as well as pay restitution in the amount of $72,305.14.
Key Facts
- State: North Dakota
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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