HOLLIDAYSBURG — An Altoona man convicted in October of endangering the welfare of a 15-month-old toddler who nearly died after ingesting methamphetamine was sentenced Thursday to five to 15 years in a state prison.

Blair County Judge Jackie Bernard handed down the sentence and told Kenneth Lee Lampenfeld, 31, that she hoped he would make an effort while incarcerated to address his drug addiction.

Lampenfeld denied daily use of methamphetamine.

“It was more like an occasional thing … like a party thing … on the weekends,” Lampenfeld said as he spoke of use during sexual activity.

During a jury trial in October, Lampenfeld’s former girlfriend, Sarah Ann Sibold, said that when she and the toddler were living with Lampenfeld on the 300 block of 14th Street, he regularly left plates used for meth consumption on the coffee table in the living room, an area where the child played with toys.

On Sept. 23, 2023, after the child had a seizure in the living room, Lampenfeld and Sibold transported the girl to UPMC Altoona and initially denied knowledge as to the potential cause.

Criminal charges indicate Lampenfeld became disruptive at the hospital, causing security personnel to escort him from the hospital, but he remained in contact with Sibold by cellphone.

Upon learning that hospital tests showed the child had meth in her blood, police said Lampenfeld told Sibold to blame two other people living at his residence.

While the child subsequently recovered, a social worker testifying during trial described the incident as “a near fatality.”

Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Mays asked Bernard to consider imposing a sentence of six to 12 years’ incarceration in light of the risk that Lampenfeld created.

“His actions were a blanket disregard for (the child’s) life … What happened could have killed her,” Mays told the judge.

Defense attorney Phil Robertson, who has become Lampenfeld’s attorney since trial when he was represented by defense attorney Robert Donaldson, told Bernard that an appeal is forthcoming because his client disagrees with the jury’s verdict.

“He is the one who took the child to the hospital,” Robertson said.

Criminal charges indicate that Sibold initially summoned an ambulance in light of the child’s seizure. But they went by vehicle, she told police, because Lampenfeld said driving would be faster.

Mays asked Bernard not to be influenced.

“Yes, he took (the child) to the hospital, but then he was so disruptive that he was removed from the hospital,” Mays said.

Robertson asked Bernard to consider a minimum sentence of four years’ incarceration based on the lowest level of the standard range of the state’s sentencing guidelines for a first-degree felony offense of endangering the welfare of a child. He said he believes Sibold — who police charged with the same offenses as Lampenfeld — will receive a probationary sentence in exchange for her guilty plea and trial testimony.

Bernard told the attorneys she respected the positions they offered and settled on the sentence of five to 15 years with hope that it provides the incentive “to keep (Lampenfeld) from coming back in contact with law enforcement.”

She spoke of Lampenfeld’s criminal history — starting as a juvenile — with various offenses including thefts, trespass, false identification and receiving stolen property, which have resulted in probationary sentences, county sentences, county incarceration and state prison sentence.

Lampenfeld’s sentence also requires him to undergo a mental health evaluation and to enroll in a cognitive behavioral therapy program.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.