Sheldon, Iowa — The third person charged in connection with the death of a Sheldon infant last summer has entered a Not Guilty plea to the misdemeanor charge.
Online court records indicate 49-year-old Stacie Hurlburt faces a charge of Accessory After the Fact for what authorities say was her role in the case.
According to court documents, the case began on the morning of July 26th last year, when the father of the 5-month-old girl, 20-year-old Larry Ruotolo, was responsible for the care of his infant daughter at their Sheldon home while 21-year-old Brittanee Baker, the infant’s mother, was asleep in another room. When the baby wouldn’t stop crying and screaming, Ruotolo allegedly lost his temper and assaulted the child, inflicting multiple injuries. Court records say Baker took the baby to the Sheldon ER, where she was treated and released.
The following day, according to authorities, the infant was again in the care of her father, when she was found unresponsive with no pulse and no breathing. She was taken to the ER, then flown to a Sioux Falls hospital where she later died.
Hurlburt was charged for allegedly helping Ruotolo and Baker concoct a cover story about how the baby’s injuries occurred.
Ruotolo and Baker entered Not Guilty pleas to Felony Child Endangerment charges earlier this month. Hurlburt submitted a written plea of Not Guilty to the Misdemeanor Accessory charge earlier this week.
All three individuals charged in the case are scheduled to be in court at a later date.
Photo: Stacie Hurlburt (L), Larry Ruotolo (C), Brittanee Baker (R)
Photos courtesy of the O’Brien County Jail
