Lakeville Dad Convicted of Abandoning Son Gets Two Years Probation

A  last year was given two years of probation at a sentencing hearing today.

Steven Cross, 60, was found guilty of neglect by a Dakota County jury in January for .

Cross will also have to pay $2,520.62 in restitution to cover his costs of extradition from California.

"We are pleased to have a resolution in this matter and I am confident that the best interest of this child will be served through our child protection intervention," Dakota County Attorney Jim Backstrom said in a statement. "Steven Cross' actions in abandoning his child showed a callous disregard for his son's well-being."

While the gross misdemeanor charge carries a potential sentence of five years in prison, Cross and his attorney asked for probation only, Kare 11 reports.

, 60-year-old Cross is accused of abandoning his son and telling the 11-year-old boy to go to neighbors—John and Joanne Pahl of —after foreclosure took his home and cleared out his savings.