LAKE ANDES, S. D. (AP) — A Wagner man has been indicted by a grand jury in Charles Mix County in last month’s death of a 2-year-old boy.
Thirty-one-year-old Leonard Sharp Fish, also known as Leonard Walking Eagle, was scheduled for a court appearance Tuesday, but it was canceled because of the indictment, according to Charles Mix County State’s Attorney Steven Cotton.
Sharp Fish is charged with committing the abuse of, or cruelty to a minor. The felony charge carries a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine. He also faces two drug-related charges.
Authorities were called to the hospital in Wagner where Calarina Drapeaux had brought her 2-year-old son on Feb. 16, 2022. The child, listed in court documents as T.T., was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Investigators found extensive bruising on the child and an autopsy revealed old and new fractures.
According to court documents, Drapeaux told an investigator she lives at a home in Wagner with Sharp Fish and her four children, including the boy who died.
Sharp Fish stated he cooked for the children, took them to school and was providing for the family. He said the three older children fought or wrestled with the 2-year-old, officials said.
Sharp Fish is scheduled to be arraigned March 14 in First Circuit Court at the Charles Mix County Courthouse at Lake Andes.