Pennsylvania man sentenced to prison in infant son's death

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CURRITUCK, N.C. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to at least five years in prison after pleading guilty in the 2018 death of his 5-month-old son while his family was vacationing in North Carolina, officials said.

At a Nov. 15 hearing in Currituck County Superior Court, Thomas William Imschweiler, 34, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter after entering into an agreement with prosecutors. The plea was first reported by Outer Banks Today.

According to the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office, deputies and emergency medical personnel were called to a location in Corolla on July 17, 2018 in response to an infant who was not breathing.

Franklin Thomas Imschweiler was taken to Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk for treatment. He died five days later.

On July 20, a felony child abuse warrant was issued for Thomas William Imschweiler. He was taken into custody and brought back to Currituck County.

A grand jury upgraded the charges against Imschweiler to murder on Sept. 17, 2018. According to the indictment, Franklin had suffered serious head injuries sometime between July 14 and 17.