St. Francis Woman Sentenced for Child Abuse

United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a St. Francis, South Dakota, woman convicted of Child Abuse was sentenced on November 7, 2016, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Leonna Lynn Poorman, a/k/a Leona Lynn Poorman, age 29, was sentenced to 5 months in custody, followed by 2 years of supervised release with 5 months of home confinement, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Poorman was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 17, 2016.  She pled guilty on August 16, 2016.

The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on February 8, 2015. On February 6, 2015, Poorman began drinking alcohol at a home near St. Francis, and she brought her five children, all under age seven, with her to the home.  Poorman drank alcohol and partied at the home from February 6, 2015, to the morning of February 8, 2015.  The children stayed in a back bedroom of the home and no adult remained sober to help care for them.

In the early morning of February 8, 2015, Poorman was intoxicated and went to sleep in the same bed with her three-month-old child.  Her other four children were on the bed or on the floor sleeping.  At approximately 9:00 A.M., Poorman found the three-month-old child deceased in the bed she was sharing with her.  The Defendant had a blood alcohol content of .107% at approximately 10:00 A.M. that day.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie G. Sanderson prosecuted the case.

Poorman was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.