(Sheldon)– A Sheldon man has been sentenced to five years in prison in the death of his daughter.
A judge Wednesday handed down the sentence to Lawrence Ruotolo, Jr., who pleaded guilty to one count of child endangerment. A second count of child endangerment was dismissed as part of a plea deal.
Ruotolo was charged in the July, 2020 death of his daughter who was five months old at the time. The child’s mother, 21-year-old Brittance Baker, was asleep. Ruotolo was accused of losing his temper and assaulting the child after she started to cry and scream. The child was taken to a hospital and was treated and released. The child was found unresponsive the next day and was flown to a Sioux Falls hospital where she died a few days later.
A trial date for Baker is set for December 14th in O’Brien County District Court.
