(KNSI) – A woman convicted of abusing a four-year-old in her at-home daycare will not be spending any more time behind bars following her sentencing.
According to the Stearns County Attorney’s Office, in August 2025, police were notified of an assault that occurred at a daycare facility in Sartell. In May, the child’s mother noticed a red mark on her daughter’s ear, and the girl said her daycare provider, Sara Beckstrom, caused it by pulling on her ear. In June, Beckstrom told the parents about a mark on the girl’s shoulder, claiming it was a mosquito bite. Two months later, while on vacation, the mother asked her daughter to use the bathroom. The child responded by pinching her own shoulder and saying, “Go to the bathroom now” and “Don’t pee in your pull-up.” The child also told her mother that Beckstrom was mad at her and mimicked being punched in the stomach.
The criminal complaint states that during an interview at the Child Advocacy Center, the child said “Sara hit my tummy” and struck her own stomach. She also said Beckstrom pulled her ear and told her to “go on the potty.”
Beckstrom was convicted on two gross misdemeanor counts of malicious punishment of a child through an Alford plea. That means the 52-year-old maintains her innocence but acknowledges that the evidence is strong enough that a jury would likely convict her if the case went to trial.
She was sentenced in Stearns County District Court to 364 days in jail, stayed for two years, meaning she will not serve any additional time behind bars unless she is convicted of another same or similar offense. Beckstrom was also placed on two years of probation and is barred from working at or owning a daycare. She received credit for one day served.
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