As a Hall of Fame MLB pitcher’s daughter awaits her trial, another person charged with abandoning her baby in freezing temperatures was sentenced Monday.
According to WMUR, “George Theberge pleaded guilty Monday morning to charges of endangering the welfare of a child, possession of a controlled drug and a probation violation,” and was sentenced to “two years in prison with six months suspended.”
Theberge, then 45, was arrested in January, shortly after the arrest of Alexandra Eckersley, then 26. She identified him as her boyfriend at the time.
It was around 12:40 a.m. Dec. 26 when officers from the Manchester Police Department in New Hampshire responded to a wooded area for a report of a woman who had given birth there. Police said first responders were not able to locate the infant in the area where Eckersley initially told them to look.
“[Theberge] is believed to have been with the baby’s mother, Alexandra Eckersley when she gave birth in a tent on the West Side of Manchester,” said the police. “At the time of the birth the temperatures were approximately 15 degrees, and the baby was left alone in the tent for more than [an] hour before police found the child.”
WMUR reported that Eckersley told authorities that Theberge, who she identified as her boyfriend, informed her the baby didn’t have a pulse.
“After nearly an hour, the mother revealed the true location of the baby and led officers to the area,” said authorities. “There, officers located the baby who was treated by EMT’s and transported to a local hospital for treatment.”
Hypothermia – a dangerous condition characterized by lowered body temperature – is most likely to occur at very cold temperatures, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, it can occur even at cool temperatures around 40 degrees Fahrenheit under some conditions.
Although the infant was left out in very cold weather, it survived.
“It was only through the luck and through the hard work of rescue workers that the child survived and is now healthy,” said Assistant Hillsborough County Attorney Shawn Sweeney, per WMUR.
Police arrested Eckersley Dec. 26 on an unrelated warrant out of Concord District Court for Endangering the Welfare of a Child. She was then charged with felony reckless conduct in connection with the incident in Manchester.
Several outlets noted that Eckersley is the adopted daughter of 68-year-old Dennis Eckersley, who had a 24-year career as an MLB pitcher. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004. Law & Crime said that Alexandra Eckersley has a history of mental illness and that police believe she was under the influence of drugs during the incident.
The Manchester Police Department announced Jan. 11 that Theberge had also been located and arrested in connection with the abandoned child.
“Theberge had an active warrant for his arrest and was charged with Felony Tampering with Witnesses, Reckless Conduct and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Eckersley has already been charged in connection with this incident,” said police.
He was sentenced to the maximum amount of time for the charges Monday, said WMUR.
“These charges, particularly the endangering charge, are extremely serious,” Judge Amy Messer explained. “It’s for that reason that the state is giving you the maximum penalty.”
Additionally, Theberge was given 216 days of credit for time already served since his arrest and given a 12-month suspended sentence on drug charges. Eckersley was released on bail and her trial is scheduled for next January. She faces charges of second-degree assault, falsifying physical evidence and reckless conduct.
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