Bismarck Man Pleads Guilty to Child Abuse in Indian Country
| U.S. Attorney’s Office October 30, 2012 |
BISMARCK—U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on October 30, 2012, Thomas Blackhawk, 34, of Bismarck, North Dakota, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a charge of child abuse in Indian country.
On February 3, 2012, Blackhawk and a child were staying at Prairie Knights Casino. Blackhawk willfully inflicted bodily injury on the child by hitting and kicking the child, which caused bruising to the child.
The charge of child abuse in Indian country carries a statutory maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a $5,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Burleigh County Social Services.
Sentencing for Blackhawk has been scheduled for February 19, 2013, in U.S. District Court in Bismarck, North Dakota, at 2:00 p.m.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Delorme is prosecuting the case.