Crime & Safety
Stepfather Sentenced to 90 Days After Plea Deal Reduces Crime to Misdemeanor
Benjamin Lee Reno, 33, was originally charged with gross misdemeanor malicious punishment of a child after throwing his 6-year-old stepson on a frozen deck on Thanksgiving Day.
A 33-year-old South St. Paul man originally charged with malicious punishment of a child was sentenced to 90 days in jail Wednesday morning after he reached a deal and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
Washington County District Court Judge Gary Schurrer vacated Reno's no-contact order with the boy, stayed 86 of the 90 days in jail and ordered him to pay a $135 fine and remain law abiding.
Benjamin Lee Reno was after police said he threw his 6-year-old stepson down on a frozen deck at a relative's Oakdale home.
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According to a Washington County criminal complaint, Reno said he took action against the boy to punish him after the boy was involved in an accident that caused his 18-month-old stepbrother a bloody lip.
Had he been convicted of the maximum charge against him, Reno could have spent up to a year in prison and been ordered to pay a $3,000 fine.
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