FARGO – Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl announced on Tuesday, Aug. 5, the sentencing of a Tokio man who pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the death of a 3-year-old child on the Spirit Lake Reservation.

Austin Ray Lester, 29, Tokio, appeared in U.S. District Court in Fargo before Chief Judge Peter Welte, who sentenced Lester to 33 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release including conditions.

Lester had pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and two counts of child neglect, as well as assault of a child with a dangerous weapon, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Co-defendant Krissy Louise Hinsley was also charged in the case and pleaded guilty to two counts of child neglect and was previously sentenced by Welte to a total term of 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release including conditions, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Both defendants were ordered to pay restitution, jointly and severally of $62,553 to the North Dakota Department of Human Services for amounts paid to cover the costs of medical care of the child prior to the child’s death.

“This is a tragic child abuse case. This three-year-old child was the victim of fatal abuse and neglect at the hands of her caregivers, Lester and Hinsley. They left her alone at home, where she was exposed to dangerous conditions while Lester and Hinsley used narcotics. This is shameful, deliberate, and horrific conduct,” Puhl said. “This case should serve as a reminder that we at the United States Attorney’s Office will seek lengthy sentences for those whose willful and neglectful conduct leads to the death of children.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of North Dakota, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Conroy.