‘House of horrors’: Evansville man found guilty of neglect after rats injure six-month-old

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) – A jury has returned a guilty verdict for an Evansville father charged with neglect after his six-month-old son was seriously injured from over 50 rat bites to his forehead, right cheek, nose, fingers and toes.

David Schonabaum was found guilty of Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury and two counts of neglect in Vanderburgh Superior Court. His sentencing is scheduled for October 2.

During closing arguments, prosecutors showed pictures of dog and rat feces, dried blood and overflowing trash inside the house where the child was found. They argued that Schonabaum’s inaction invited the rats that attacked his son, permanently disfiguring him. Prosecutor Ian Blair called the situation a “house of horrors.”

The defense argued no one anticipated the incident, and the family case manager did not act as if the conditions in the home were an emergency.

Prosecutor Diana Moers gave her thoughts on the verdict. She says, “This case is horrific, and we will live with the images of this baby forever. It is completely shocking to the conscious that anyone would live in these conditions, much less allow their children, baby and animals to live amongst absolute filth when they cannot help themselves. It is also unimaginable how a rat was able to do such damage to this infant before his father called for help. We look forward to the sentencing date in this case and will hold nothing back when asking the court to weigh the aggravating factors of this case which justify the highest possible sentence.

Moers commends the Evansville Police Department and the paramedics. She says their actions saved the baby’s life. She also says the 911 call from Schonabaum “downplayed the dire scene at home.”

Moers states the maximum sentence for the count of Neglect of a Dependent Causing Serious Bodily Harm is 16 years.

Blair and Jessica Berry represented the state while Jodi Uebelhack represented Schonabaum. Judge Robert Pigman oversaw the case.

This is a developing story.

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