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N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – A former day care provider charged in the drowning death of a Velva girl last July has struck a plea deal with the state.

Forty-five-year-old Heather Tudor pleaded guilty Monday to a felony charge of child neglect and a misdemeanor charge of operating a day care facility without a license.

The state agreed to drop the negligent homicide charge as part of the deal.

Last June the girl was found unresponsive near a pool in Velva. She died the following month at a hospital in Fargo from her injuries.

In court Monday, the girl’s mother offered emotional statements, questioning why Tudor allowed her daughter near a pool when she had informed Tudor the girl could not swim. She said that her daughter’s death has caused her and her family great emotional stress.

Tudor will serve three years unsupervised probation, with all jail time suspended.

Tudor must also pay $5,000 in restitution to the girl’s family and perform 300 hours of community service. The judge also barred her from ever operating a day care facility.

Several members of the North Dakota Department of Human Services and a McHenry County social worker also face charges in the girl’s death.