Red Lake woman pleas guilty for child endangerment after abusing a 5-year-old child

A 69-year-old Red Lake woman pleaded guilty to child endangerment on Tuesday after a 5-year-old child received physical, mental and emotional trauma from her.

According to United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald, Martha Ann Smith, 69, of Red Lake pleaded guilty to one count of felony child endangerment before Judge Michael J. Davis in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed with the court, Smith endangered a minor child in her foster care on multiple occasions at her residence on the Red Lake Indian Reservation.

Smith admitted that on the evening of October 10, 2019, through the morning of October 11, 2019, she tightly bound a 5-year-old child’s wrists and ankles to the sides of a highchair and forced the child to remain shackled to the high chair throughout the night. As a result of the shackling, the child suffered bruising and lacerations on her wrists and ankles, as well as mental and emotional trauma. Smith further admitted that she neglected and endangered the child on multiple occasions when the child was under Smith’s foster care since the child was approximately three months old.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Red Lake Police Department.

A sentencing date for Smith will be scheduled at a later time.