FARGO – First Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas
Chase, District of North Dakota, announced that on September 17, 2019, Jonathan
James Hill, age 22, an enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe and the
Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Tribe, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge
Peter D. Welte, Fargo, ND, to an Indictment charging him with Assault Resulting
in Serious Bodily Injury.
At the plea hearing, Hill admitted that between December 26,
2018, and January 1, 2019, he assaulted a baby by hitting the baby with his
fists and shoving the child into walls.
On January 1, 2019, emergency medical technicians responded
to a residence in Fort Totten, ND, within the boundaries of the Spirit Lake
Reservation, for a report of an unresponsive baby. Medical providers described the 20-month-old
baby as “noticeably bruised to face & entire body.” The baby was diagnosed with multiple acute
and chronic injuries to the brain and body.
The injuries were characterized by medical providers as “non-accidental”
and were determined to be consistent with abusive head trauma and child
physical abuse. The baby’s injuries
required air transport for medical treatment, surgical intervention, and
months-long hospitalization.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 16, 2019, at 9:00 AM
before Judge Peter D. Welte. A 10-year
minimum prison sentence applies given the nature of the injuries and the age of
the victim.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney
Lori H. Conroy.
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