Jamestown woman sentenced for child neglect after allegedly striking child with cellphone
Nov. 5 — JAMESTOWN — A 40-year-old woman who allegedly hit her 13-year-old son with a cellphone was sentenced recently in Southeastern District Court in Jamestown.
Patience Garjah, of Jamestown, pleaded guilty to child neglect, a Class C felony that is considered a misdemeanor.
Garjah was charged with being a parent and inflicting mental or physical harm on a child, causing or permitting serious bodily injury or serious bodily injury to be inflicted, being a parent and failing to seek medical care for a child on Oct. 1.
Judge Troy LeFevre sentenced Garjah to 14 days in the Stutsman County Jail, with two days served. LeFevre ordered Garjah not to possess or possess a firearm for 360 days, to have his fingerprints taken, and to complete 40 hours of anger management, parenting classes, parenting counseling, family counseling and/or individual counseling by Dec. 31. Garjah was also ordered to pay a $400 ticket administration fee, a $100 defense/facility management fee, and a $25 victim witness fee.
A Class C felony, punishable by five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Court documents say Garjah’s 13-year-old son told a Jamestown police officer that Garjah hit him in the head with a cellphone because he took it without permission.
Court documents state that Garjah told the officer that the boy had taken a cell phone without permission and that Garjah hit him in the head with the cell phone after he “talked back” or “promised.” Garjah didn’t know how the boy’s eye became swollen and his nose started bleeding, but he said he hit the boy once in the back of the head, according to court documents.
According to court documents, emergency medical providers told the officer that the boy had a cut on his head that extended up to several centimeters, suffered a minimal concussion and likely had a more serious brain or skull injury that required further evaluation. Emergency medical providers also told the officer that a blow to the back of the head could result in permanent loss of function, disability or death.
