MINNEAPOLIS—A federal indictment unsealed earlier this week charges a 33-year-old Red Lake man with endangering the health of a baby. On January 8, 2013, Chad Joseph Sumner was charged with one count of child endangerment. The indictment was unsealed following Sumner’s initial appearance in court.
The indictment alleges that on August 17, 2011, Sumner intentionally placed the child in a situation likely to be harmful. As a result, the infant suffered substantial physical harm, including head trauma and skull fractures.
If convicted of the crime, Sumner faces a potential maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge. This case is the result of an investigation by the Red Lake Tribal Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad.
Because the Red Lake Indian Reservation is a federal-jurisdiction reservation, some of the crimes that occur there are investigated by the FBI in conjunction with the Red Lake Tribal Police Department. Those cases are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.
