KOTA Territory NewsWanblee man gets max sentence in child abuse case

Wanblee man gets max sentence in child abuse case

Katy Urban

Heinous acts of abuse inflicted on a 10 month old baby earned a Wanblee man the maximum prison sentence for child abuse.  Galen Loefer, 31, will spend the next 15 years behind bars for the torture of a 10 month old baby girl.

Prosecutors say Loefer hit and threw the baby girl, dropped a piece of wood on her head and punished her with a heavy pillow.

U.S. Attorney Marty Jackley says the baby had two skull fractures, bruises on the brain, a cigarette burn, a torn anus, and bruises around the groin and other areas.

While the maximum sentence for the charge is 15 years, Federal Judge Richard Battey said, 'perhaps the sentence should be twenty, thirty or forty years' because people just aren't safe around you."

Loefer is a known gang member and has an extensive criminal record.   After his prison term is complete in the year 2024, he'll be under close supervision for three years.

Child abuse crimes, like the one committed by Loefer are without a doubt some of the most stomach-turning acts of violence, but, thanks to the Adam Walsh Act, these criminals are going away for longer.

Back in 2006, Former President Bush signed the Adam Walsh Act into law. Now federal prosecutors have more charging options.

While 15 years may not seem like a stiff enough sentence for a child abuser, It's a lot better than three years ago.  Under the old sentencing guidelines ten years behind bars was the maximum sentence for a case as vicious as Loefer's.

"I don't know that it necessarily allowed us to prosecute more people but its allowed us to bring more appropriate charges," Jackely said.

Since 2006, federal prosecutors have had 18 felony child abuse cases in South Dakota.  Most of those abuse cases happened on reservations.