FRANKLIN FURNACE- A Franklin Furnace man who was accused of involuntary manslaughter in the death of his mother last year has pleaded guilty to the original lesser charge.

According to Matthew VanSickle’s defense attorney Shawn Stratton, his client pleaded guilty Friday, Feb. 23, to the original charge of failure to provide for a functionally impaired adult. VanSickle was sentenced to 16 months in prison with seven months credited.

With the plea, VanSickle avoided a trial. The three-day trial was slated to begin Monday, Feb. 26, in the courtroom of Scioto County Common Pleas Judge Howard H. Harcha III.

According to a news release from the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office at the time of VanSickle’s arrest, Southern Ohio Medical Center had contacted law enforcement July 26, 2023, about a patient who may have been abused. That patient was 79-year-old Patricia VanSickle, the defendant’s mother.

Patricia VanSickle was transferred to hospice care, where she died of her injuries.

After his mother died, Matthew VanSickle, 58, had been additionally charged with involuntary manslaughter. He was originally arrested for failure to provide for a functionally impaired adult, a fourth-degree felony and was jailed under a $110,000 bond.

Scioto County Prosecutor Shane Tieman said the family was very much involved in the decision to drop the involuntary manslaughter charge which, along with the difficulty in proving causation beyond a reasonable doubt on that particular charge, was a reason for the plea bargain.

“This office spoke with the victim’s family and discussed all aspects of the case. This office reviewed the case with all witnesses in preparation for trial, including medical experts and the forensic medical examiner,” Tieman said. “Based upon the issues of proving causation beyond a reasonable doubt for the manslaughter charge, as well as the wishes of the family, the State reopened the offer at the request of the defendant’s attorney to plead guilty to one count of Failing to Provide for a Functionally Impaired Person, a felony of the fourth degree. Defendant received close to the maximum for the felony of the fourth degree with a 16-month sentence to prison.”

Tieman also said Patricia Vansickle’s health had taken a turn for the worst in the time before her passing. She was suffering from malnutrition and other medical conditions that were exacerbated by her caregiver son’s “hesitation or unwillingness to call for help or get her medical attention.”

VanSickle did eventually call 911, but his mother succumbed to her medical conditions.

“Mr. Vansickle indicated that he had held off on contacting authorities as he reportedly believed his mother did not wish to receive medical treatment, a claim this office found questionable,” Tieman said.