Spirit Lake Man Pleads Guilty to Assault of a Child

Hill admitted to assaulting a baby by hitting the baby with his fists and shoving the child into walls.

FARGO, N.D.–A Spirit Lake man pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury on Tuesday.

22-year-old Jonathan James Hill admitted to assaulting a baby by hitting the baby with his fists and shoving the child into walls. Hill is an enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe and the Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Tribe.

Emergency medical technicians responded to a residence in Fort Totten, N.D. on January 1, 2019 for a report of an unresponsive baby. The injuries were described by medical providers as “noticeably bruised to face & entire body.” The baby’s injuries required air transport for medical treatment.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 16, 2019 at 9 a.m. before Judge Peter D. Welte. A ten-year minimum prison sentence applies given the nature of the injuries and the age of the victim.