A Washington Court House man was sentenced this week on two counts of third-degree felony endangering children and will serve five years in prison.

Christopher Guisinger, 36, was sentenced by Fayette County Common Pleas Court Judge Steven Beathard — per the recommendation of Fayette County Prosecutor Jess Weade — for a total of five years. The maximum sentence available was six years.

“In his plea, we dismissed the felony two counts of endangering children which were what Ms. (Victoria) Webb was convicted of,” Weade said. “The reasoning behind that is that, while the case pended, we learned that he had very little contact with the mother or his children. The parents did not reside together, and after the birth — until the day before children’s services stepped in — he did not see his children. While this is not good or recommended parenting, it did mean that we could not prove he was responsible for the children being in the condition that they were in. However, upon seeing his children, he took no affirmative steps to get them any care, make sure that they were fed and nurtured, and his home was not a safe place for children.”

As previously reported, on the afternoon of Oct. 21, officers from the Washington Police Department responded to 733 Oakland Ave. in reference to a welfare complaint concerning several juveniles inside. When they arrived, the officers found four children living in “deplorable and horrific conditions,” according to reports.

According to Weade, over seven weeks of life, one of the twins lost weight due to a lack of feeding, and the other gained only three ounces. He said that doctors explained to them that the average child should gain at least a pound and a half in that time frame. The children were never taken to a doctor after discharge from the hospital, and upon being evaluated here in Washington C.H., it was determined to transport the children to Nationwide Children’s hospital due to their condition. Weade said it was fortunate the children survived.

Webb, who was sentenced last week, will serve up to 12-and-a-half years on two counts of child endangering, a second-degree felony.

Reach Martin Graham at (740) 463-9684 or on Twitter @MartiTheNewsGuy.