Split sentence for Moorcroft man charged with child abuse

A Moorcroft man has been given a split sentence after pleading guilty to child abuse. Dustin Regan allegedly used his hand and a fly swatter to hit two children during a domestic incident.

On July 2, 2022, at around 12:36 a.m., a Crook County Sheriff’s Office deputy was dispatched to a Pine Haven residence for a reported domestic. The reporting party stated that Regan had entered their residence and attacked the children.

When the deputy arrived on scene, the reporting party and children had relocated to a neighbor’s house. He was told that the reporting party had been out of the house all day, and had returned to find Regan there, “intoxicated and cooking bacon”.

The reporting party put the children to bed and began her chores, but soon after allegedly heard screaming and found Regan had removed them from the bed, spanked them and used a fly swatter to whip them. Visible marks were allegedly found on both victims.

Regan pled guilty to one felony count of child abuse. Judge Stuart S. Healy III sentenced him to between four and seven years in a state penal institution.

This sentence was split: Regan will serve one year in the Crook County Detention Center, after which the remainder of his sentence will be suspended and he will be placed on supervised probation for three years.