GRAND FORKS, N.D. - A Grand Forks man accused of giving his 4-week-old daughter severe head injuries was ordered today to serve 20 years in prison - the maximum sentence under North Dakota law.
Steven Klein, 36, pleaded guilty to a child-abuse charge in March and later tried to withdraw that plea, but was not allowed to do so.
In addition to 20 years behind bars, Klein must serve five years of probation, register as an offender against children and pay more than $389,000 for his daughter's medical bills.
Prosecutors alleged Klein injured his daughter while he was watching her Aug. 24, 2008, in their Grand Forks home while the girl's mother was shopping. After an investigation, Klein was arrested in June 2009. Authorities said the girl's injuries have left her permanently disabled.
Klein's case went to trial in March, and after the prosecution presented its case, he pleaded guilty. In June, he filed a motion to withdraw his plea, saying his public defender had pressured him into pleading guilty. Judge Sonja Clapp of state District Court rejected that motion, writing in her decision that Klein had told her that in regards to his plea, no promises were made to him and that he was not threatened.
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In 1994, Klein was convicted of assaulting a 14-month-old girl in his care in Moorhead, leaving her with serious head injuries. This conviction, in part, led Judge Clapp to designate Klein as a dangerous offender which, in this case, allowed for a sentence of up to 20 years.
The victim from the 1994 incident, who's now 18 years old, attended today's sentencing, as did her family and relatives of Klein's daughter.
