CROWN POINT — A 16-year prison sentence has been handed a northwest Indiana man who pleaded guilty to two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury in the drownings of his two sons. The sentence of 37-year-old Eric Patillo was handed down Wednesday by Lake County Judge Samuel Cappas. Authorities say 4-year-old Levi Patillo and 2-year-old Evan Patillo were unresponsive when two fishermen pulled them from the Kankakee River near the Illinois-Indiana state line on Aug. 21, 2018. Patillo told a witness that he was high on heroin while at the river with his sons. Patillo’s May plea agreement called for a sentence of three to eight years on each count.
