Father sentenced in infant's meth-related death

2018 conviction results in 40-year sentence

FATHER SENTENCED IN INFANT’S METH-RELATED DEATH
 

Madison, Indiana (August 4, 2021) - A Jefferson County, Indiana man convicted by jury trial in the methamphetamine-related death of his infant son in 2018 was sentenced on Wednesday, August 3, in the Jefferson County Circuit Court to 40 years in prison.
 

Deven Frisque, 34, was convicted in June of Level 1 felony neglect of a dependent by a jury of his peers. A Level 1 felony conviction carries between a 20 and 40 year prison sentence. Prosecutor David R. Sutter asked the court for the 40-year sentence. Senior Judge Richard Striegel issued the sentencing order.

 "Overall, we are pleased with the sentence issued in this case and feel it is proper given the circumstances. This was a tragic case of neglect that ended in an infant fatality.  These cases are never easy for law enforcement, first responders, dispatchers, our own staff and members of the jury and I, again, want to thank them for their work," said Prosecutor David Sutter.

 A toxicology report on the three-month-old baby revealed lethal levels of methamphetamine in his blood and the cause of death was determined to be homicide.

 The baby was discovered to be deceased the afternoon of July 15, 2018, after a neighbor awoke Savage when he knocked on the couple’s apartment door. Savage told police she found the baby, whom she had placed on the sectional sofa to sleep, facedown and unresponsive. Both Savage and Frisque had methamphetamine in their systems.

The baby’s mother, Tara L. Savage, 26, previously entered a plea agreement, pleading guilty to Level 1 felony neglect of a dependent resulting in death. Savage was sentenced to 24 years, all to be executed at the Indiana Department of Corrections.

Frisque, who has remained incarcerated since his September 2018 arrest, was remanded to the Indiana Department of Corrections to complete his sentence.