Indiana man convicted of neglect after rat attack on his infant son

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – An Indiana man convicted of child neglect for a rat attack that left his 6-month-old son with disfiguring injuries has been sentenced to a maximum sentence of 16 years in prison.

A judge sentenced 32-year-old David Schonabaum on Wednesday after the Evansville man was convicted by a jury in September of three counts of neglect of a dependent.

Vanderburgh County Superior Court Judge Robert Pigman found no mitigating factors that could reduce the sentence, according to the Evansville Courier & The press reported.

Prosecutor Diana Moers had previously said her office would not shy away from imposing the “maximum sentence possible.”

The Associated Press left a telephone message Thursday and sent an email to Schonabaum’s defense attorney seeking comment.

Evansville police arrested Schonabaum and his wife, Angel Schonabaum, in September 2023 after David Schonabaum called 911 to report that his 6-month-old son had been seriously injured by rats in their home, according to an affidavit.

The Indiana Department of Child Services had previously inquired about conditions at the home.

Investigators said the infant suffered more than 50 rat bites and required treatment at an Indianapolis hospital.

An Evansville police officer wrote in the affidavit that the four fingers and thumb of the child’s right hand were “missing flesh at the top and the fingertip bones were exposed.”

After a jury convicted Schonabaum in September, Moers said paramedics and police discovered “the child was lying in his crib in a pool of blood and the bites affected his body – including his face, mouth and extremities – to such an extent that they left him.” .” Bones are visible on one hand and he is now permanently disfigured.”

Angel Schonabaum, 29, pleaded guilty to felony neglect in September, days before she was scheduled to stand trial. Her sentencing is scheduled for October 24.