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A Hancock man is facing prison time following a plea agreement in Houghton County Circuit Court.
27-year-old Benjamin Reilly was arrested last fall following an investigation into the death of his infant son in July.
Reilly had been charged with Involuntary Manslaughter and two counts of Child Abuse, along with several charges in an unrelated case involving a break in at Finlandia University.
Instead, Reilly pled “No Contest” to one count of second degree child abuse.
In exchange for the plea, all other charges–including those related to the break-in at Finlandia–were dismissed.
Reilly still faces up to ten years in prison.
In order for the court to accept Reilly’s plea of No Contest, prosecuting attorney Michael Makinen presented the court with the autopsy report of Reilly’s 2 month-old son.
The report states the child’s cause of death to be suffocation with alcohol intoxication as a contributing factor.
On the date of his child’s death, Reilly tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, and psilocin, the active ingredient in mushrooms, both of which are controlled substances.
Reilly is currently lodged in the Houghton County Jail awaiting sentencing, which will take place in approximately 4 weeks.
