Man sentenced for infant son's death

RICE TWP. — A Fremont-area man was recently sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to his role in his infant son's death. At a court hearing on Aug. 8, Dustin L. Abenante, 37, of the 1300 block of Ohio 523 in Rice Township, was convicted on one amended count of attempted involuntary manslaughter, a second-degree felony. Abenante pleaded guilty to the single charge the same day in exchange for one count of endangering children, a third-degree felony, to be dismissed. Sandusky County Common Pleas Court Judge Jon Ickes sentenced Abenante to serve five to seven-and-a-half years in prison, according to court records. Under the terms of his sentencing, Abenante received a credit for approximately 10 months served in jail and will be placed on a mandatory term of five years post-release control, according to court records. Background Abenante, along with his co-defendant and the infant's mother, Valerie K. Fleming, 29, both of the 1300 block of Ohio 523 in Rice Township, were both indicted by a Sandusky County grand jury in late September for their roles in the death of their infant son. A Sandusky County Sheriff's Office report identified both Abenante and Fleming as the infant's parents. Both Abenante and Fleming were indicted on the following charges: • One count of involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony • One count of endangering children, a third-degree felony The investigation into both Abenante and Fleming began on April 2, after deputies from the Sandusky County Sheriff's Office responded to the residence about an unresponsive infant, according to a Sandusky County sheriff's report. The report redacts the victim's name but identifies him as a 3-month-old child whose parents are Abenante and Fleming. Once deputies arrived at the residence, a deputy immediately began CPR on the infant shortly after first responders arrived and pronounced the infant deceased, the report states. A deputy began speaking with Abenante about what had occurred. Abenante told the deputy that he had found the infant face down on the ground and that Fleming said that the child was in a swing at the time and that the child sleeps with them every night, the report states. When the deputy asked Fleming about what happened to the child, she said that she and Abenante smoked a vape pen before going to bed. Fleming said that she did not recall waking up in the middle of the night but that she routinely breastfeeds the child throughout the night and will fall asleep, the report states. Fleming said to the deputy that when she did wake up, she found the infant on the "floor and unresponsive." Fleming also allegedly admitted to the deputy that she and Abenante had used cocaine and heroin on the day and evening of April 1, the report states. While on the scene, responding deputies allegedly observed evidence of potential drug use at the residence, including Naloxone, a medicine used to reverse an opioid overdose, found on the kitchen counter. Deputies also found fentanyl test strips, portions of cut straw, pieces of foil and cellophane throughout the residence and in the toilet, the report states. Based on their initial findings, the deputies obtained a search warrant for the residence and blood samples for the couple. On April 3, both Abenante and Fleming were taken into custody and charged with endangering children, which preceded their indictments. Fleming had a court hearing scheduled for Thursday morning. As of Thursday afternoon, no additional court hearing have been scheduled for Fleming, according to court records.