EVANSVILLE — The mother of a baby bitten more than 50 times by rats last year has pleaded guilty to felony charges in Vanderburgh County Circuit Court.
Angel Schonabaum, 29, was arrested on Sept. 19, 2023, after her 6-month-old son required medical treatment at an Indianapolis hospital for wounds associated with long-term neglect and rodent bites that, in some cases, pierced the boy’s skin down to his bones, according to Evansville police.
Schonabaum entered her change of plea in court Tuesday, days before her jury trial was set to start on Monday. Her sentencing hearing is set for 1 p.m. Oct. 24.
Thirty-two-year-old David Schonabaum, Angel’s husband and the 6-month-old child’s father, was found guilty by a jury earlier this month on multiple felony neglect charges. His sentencing is set for 8:30 a.m. Oct. 2.
Under state sentencing guidelines, David Schonabaum faces a maximum sentence of 16 years.
Vanderburgh County prosecutor Diana Moers said her office will not hold back when asking the “court to weigh the aggravating factors of this case which justify the highest possible sentence.”