Willie Jo Francis Knight

A New Town woman was sentenced in North Central District Court after entering a change of plea to charges from an incident in 2019.

Willie Jo Francis Knight, 35, New Town, entered a change of plea to guilty on Feb. 12 to the charges of child neglect or abuse, a Class C felony, and DUI with a minor, putting a stop to proceedings that stem from an incident from April 28, 2019.

According to court documents, Minot Police were called to a Minot bar after receiving a report of an intoxicated female sitting in a vehicle in the establishment’s parking lot. Knight was found seated in the driver seat with the vehicle running and the victim seated in the front passenger seat. Knight indicated she had consumed three “double” shots that evening and failed multiple sobriety tests before being placed under arrest. Knight consented to a breathalyzer test, which returned a blood alcohol content of 0.19%.

The officer spoke to the victim, who said she had been forced to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana by Knight and her father Colin Knight. The juvenile also provided a breath sample of 0.16% BAC.

District Court Judge Richard Hagar sentenced Knight to five years in the Ward County Jail for the Class C felony charge, to first serve 180 days with credit for 117 days already served. Knight was ordered to complete two years of supervised probation, and to enroll in a 24/7 sobriety program along with a chemical dependency evaluation. Knight was also assessed $525 in court fines and fees. Knight was sentenced to serve 180 days in the Ward County Jail for the DUI with a minor, but was given credit for 117 days already served and a state fine of $500.