Spirit Lake woman charged with assault and child neglect

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 20 Oct, 18:02 · Archive

Cassandra Santos, 37, has been federally charged with assault and child neglect following three incidents on the Spirit Lake Reservation between July and September 2026.

Cassandra Santos, 37, has been charged in federal court with assault resulting in substantial bodily injury and three counts of child neglect in Indian country following incidents on the Spirit Lake Reservation. The assault charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; each neglect count carries a maximum penalty of five years and a $10,000 fine.

The first incident occurred when Santos struck a child, born in 2025, with her vehicle while backing out of a parking space at the Crow Hill Recreation Center during a prayer service. The child was airlifted to a hospital in Fargo and diagnosed with a closed fracture of the right femur, a crush injury and abrasions to the leg and foot. Witnesses told investigators Santos had been drinking that day. Multiple relatives and several child witnesses told investigators they saw Santos drinking before the incident. Santos initially gave investigators inconsistent accounts of her alcohol use that day, though she told them the collision was not intentional.

According to the FBI affidavit, in separate incidents between the initial assault and September 2026, a bystander found one of Santos' children walking alone on a road without shoes. The child said Santos had dropped him off with a babysitter the previous night and did not return. These separate incidents form the basis of the three child neglect counts.

How it is being reported

• Spirit Lake woman federally charged with assault, child neglect after infant run over at reservation eventCourt documents detail three separate incidents involving alcohol and young childrenKfyrtv · 20 Oct, 16:46
• Spirit Lake woman federally charged with assault, child neglect after infant run over at reservation eventCourt documents detail three separate incidents involving alcohol and young childrenValleynewslive · 20 Oct, 16:46

In this story: Cassandra Santos · Spirit Lake Reservation · Crow Hill Recreation Center · Fargo · FBI

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