Staff photos / Ed Runyan Frederick Dennis on Wednesday tells Judge Anthony Donofrio of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court the reasons he drove a vehicle at high speed through Youngstown with his two children and their mother in the car, injuring the children when the car crashed April 26, 2021. At right is his attorney, Rhys Cartwright Jones.

YOUNGSTOWN — Frederick Dennis, 28, of Elliot Lane, was sentenced to a year in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to one count of felony domestic violence and two misdemeanor counts of child endangering.

Caitlyn Andrews, assistant prosecutor, said Dennis drove at high speed through Youngstown after an argument with the mother of his two children, leading to a wheel coming off the car and the vehicle crashing into another vehicle, injuring both children.

Andrews said the incident began with Dennis arguing with the woman and shoving her into a wall while she was holding their 10-month-old son.

“He then took his son and their 1-month-old daughter and put them in the car,” Andrews said. “The victim, Victoria (Decoulon), got in the car with them. He drove recklessly through the streets of Youngstown at times going over 100 miles per hour.

“He almost hit victims in five different cars, and he actually said, ‘See how fast I can take out an entire family,'” Andrews told Judge Anthony Donofrio of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

She said Dennis was “intending to scare the victim, but the tire came off the car, and the car crashed into another vehicle.

“His son had cuts and bruises all over this body, and his daughter had a cut as well. The (child’s mother) said the children have ongoing trauma as a result of the defendant’s actions,” Andrews said. She described the injuries as “minor.”

Dennis was previously convicted twice of domestic violence and a host of other charges.

Dennis’ attorney, Rhys Cartwright Jones, said there was “infidelity” in the relationship that preceded Dennis’ “absolute horrible and inexcusable evening.”

He said the presentence investigation ordered by the court unearthed a horrible upbringing that included multiple foster homes, “zero relationship with his own parents,” “was often not fed, and when he was fed … was occasionally fed lead. Really.”

Cartwright Jones said that Dennis was not ruled not guilty by reason of insanity nor incompetent to stand trial — but “not by much.” He was physically and sexually abused, which was videotaped, Cartwright-Jones said.

Decoulon told the judge that Dennis had abused her by causing cuts, welts and bite marks and verbally abused her.

After the crash, the windows in the vehicle were broken and her door would not open, so she crawled out the window. Police described the boy after the accident as crying and bloody, but the children were checked at the scene and not transported to the hospital.

Dennis apologized to Decoulon.

But when Donofrio asked Dennis why he didn’t “just walk away,” Dennis said he only intended to take the children to Decoulon’s mother’s house because her mother had been helpful to him.

The judge said he found Dennis’ actions “troubling” and “reckless” and listed Dennis’ long list of previous charges, including multiple counts as a juvenile of aggravated indecent assault, plus adult convictions for felony assault, assault, domestic violence and child endangering.

The judge called these “violent offenses of a violent nature against family.” He had never been sent to prison before.

Donofrio agreed with the prosecutor’s recommendation in sentencing Dennis to one year in prison. Dennis was taken from the court in handcuffs to begin serving the sentence.