10-year prison term ordered for child abuse

An Oconto Falls man was sentenced April 20 to another decade in prison for causing lifetime injuries to his 3-month-old child.

Vincent J. Enneper, 25, entered no contest pleas in February to charges of child abuse recklessly causing great harm and neglecting a child with the consequence of great bodily harm. A related charge of child abuse intentionally causing great bodily harm was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

Judge Michael T. Judge followed the terms of the agreement filed when the pleas were entered Feb. 9, sentencing Enneper to 10 years in prison followed by five years of extended supervision for the child abuse charge, to be served concurrently with the sentence he is currently serving for arson. For the child neglect count, Judge imposed and stayed a six-year term of prison and supervision, including three years of probation consecutive to his current sentence.

Terms of his extended supervision include that he maintain absolute sobriety; have no contact with the victim or her mother or any children without agent permission; and complete all assessments, counseling and treatment deemed necessary by his agent.

According to the criminal complaint, local authorities were notified by doctors at Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee, where the child was taken Jan. 9, 2020, suffering from at least two skull fractures and brain bleed seizures.

Enneper had been home alone with the baby the day before and claimed that she fell out his arms and hit her head against the hardwood floor while he was using one hand to prepare a bottle to feed her.

The baby’s injuries were described as very severe, and the prognosis is that she will have lifelong deficits from a severe brain injury, the complaint said.

Enneper was 16 when he was charged with starting several fires inside St. Anthony Catholic School on Feb. 21, 2012, causing approximately $2 million in damage. He told authorities he did it because he was fascinated by fire.

He was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by 10 years of extended supervision. He was still serving the second phase of that sentence when he was arrested a year ago. The extended supervision was revoked because of the violation, and he is serving seven years of additional confinement with two years reserved as extended supervision.