A Fort Dodge woman was sentenced to probation after entering a plea agreement for neglect of a dependent person, her infant child. According to Calhoun County District Court records, 23-year-old Emma Ann Swanson entered an Alford Plea in October 2025, to neglect or abandonment of a dependent person, a class C felony. Charges were filed in May 2025 when authorities say Swanson reportedly deprived her son of food, failed to seek medical attention for seizure activity, and used unreasonable force that resulted in a skull fracture, hemorrhages and bruising across the infant’s body. As per the plea agreement, Swanson was ordered on Feb. 2 to ten years in prison and a fine of $10,000, both suspended, and instead placed on probation for a period of three years. Also in the agreement, the charge of child endangerment, multiple acts, a class B felony, was dismissed.
