MINNEAPOLIS – A White Earth man has pleaded guilty to assaulting a minor child on the White Earth reservation, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on June 8, 2020, Edward Duane Fairbanks, 30, was caring for a minor child. During the early afternoon hours, Fairbanks intentionally shoved the child into a table, causing a serious head injury. The child was taken to the hospital where doctors diagnosed a large skull fracture and a subdural hematoma. The child had to undergo a craniectomy to relieve pressure on the brain.
Fairbanks pleaded guilty yesterday before Chief U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim to one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 30, 2022.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the White Earth Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Mahnomen County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad is prosecuting the case.