By A Sioux Falls man was sentenced to 10 years in prison with three years suspended in connection to the 2023 death of an infant in Brown County.
Jaylen T. Rencountre, 30, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter May 20 at the Brown County Courthouse. Second-degree manslaughter is when someone is knowingly reckless and their actions result in the death of another person.
On Feb. 1, 2023, Rencountre was giving an infant a bath while he was seriously ill, highly medicated and experiencing fatigue, according to court documents. Those factors led to the death of the infant.
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He must pay $617 in court costs and $10,754 in expert fees and testing costs. The terms of the sentence were part of a plea agreement.
The crime is a felony punishable by as much as 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
In other recent Brown County felony cases:
- Denise M. Lafferty, 53, Depree, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance. She received a five-year suspended prison sentence and two years probation. She was fined $1,117 and given 30 days in jail with credit for six days served.
- Jerome L. Clark, 41, Aberdeen, pleaded guilty to witness tampering. He was sentenced to five years in prison with four years suspended and fined $117.
- Susong Smau, 32, Aberdeen, pleaded guilty to unauthorized manufacturing, counterfeiting or possession of methamphetamine and was sentenced to 15 years in prison with six years suspended and fined $567.
- Delilah Goodhouse, 48, Aberdeen, pleaded guilty to grand theft of property valued at more than $1,000, but less no more than $2,500. She received a two-year suspended prison sentence and was placed on two years of probation. She was sentenced to 30 days in jail and given credit for five days and was fined $567.
- Bentley J. Kappenman, 29, pleaded guilty to cruelty to animals. A two-year prison term was suspended, but he must spend 30 days in jail and two years on probation. He was fined $617.
- Torey A. Erdmann, 37, Aberdeen, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance. She was sentenced to 30 days in jail and given credit for seven days served. She must spend three years on probation and was fined $617. She was granted a suspended imposition of sentence, which means the incident won’t go on her record if she follows probation rules.
- In an Edmunds County felony case, Stanley Justice, 46, Ipswich, pleaded guilty to failure to register as a sex offender. He received a two-year suspended prison term and two years probation. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail with one day suspended and fined $1,117.