New Hampshire man convicted of endangering children after leaving Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley’s grandchild in freezing tent when MLB pitcher’s daughter gave birth in woods
- George Theberge, 45, was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty
- The baby boy was left alone in a tent for more than an hour on December 26
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A New Hampshire man has been sentenced to a minimum of one year in prison for endangering the life of Baseball Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley’s grandchild by leaving the child in a tent in temperatures of 15 degrees (minus) on December 26, 2022. 9.4 degrees Celsius).
George Theberge, 45, was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty to child endangerment charges, after reaching a deal with prosecutors, plus a further six months behind bars for a probation violation stemming from his arrest in January and a drug charge.
Authorities said the boy was left alone in a tent for more than an hour on December 26 as the temperature plummeted.
A police statement referred to Theberge as the boyfriend of the baby’s mother, Alexandra Eckersley, 26, who is accused of abandoning her son without warmth or proper clothing. She pleaded not guilty to charges of assault, reckless endangerment and other counts, and was released on bail. She awaits trial next year.
Alexandra’s attorney said her client didn’t know she was pregnant, only gave birth, called 911 and led police to the baby. She said Eckersley had medical complications. Since then, she said Eckersley has completed rehabilitation programs, is sober and sees her son regularly.
George Theberge (left) was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty. A police statement referred to Theberge as the boyfriend of the baby’s mother, Alexandra Eckersley (right)
Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley of the Oakland Athletics will be honored in 2019
The Eckersley family issued a statement at the time of her arrest saying they had no prior knowledge of Alexandra’s pregnancy. They said she had suffered “a serious mental illness all her life” and went out of their way to get her help and support.
Alexandra has since claimed that Theberge was also present during her baby’s birth, and that he actually went back to the tent to turn off his tablet and propane heater, leaving the baby out in the cold.
She also claimed that before the police arrived, the pair had agreed not to lead the officers to their tent for fear it would be torn down and taken, leaving them without shelter in the winter.
“Eckersley admitted that she had a conversation with George in which they agreed to tell the police that the incident took place on the football fields so that the police would not find and take their tents,” the police said in Alexandra’s arrest report.
Eckersley said it is very difficult to survive if they have lost their tent because of the cold temperatures during the Manchester winter. Eckersley stated that this is why they turned off the propane heater.”
Alexandra Eckersley reportedly refused to show police the tent where her baby was resting
Dennis Eckersley was drafted by Cleveland in 1972 as a California high school senior and went on to pitch 24 seasons as a starter with 20 wins and as a reliever with 50 saves for Cleveland, Boston, the Cubs, Oakland and the Cardinals.
He won the AL Cy Young and MVP awards in 1992 while playing for the Oakland Athletics. Eckersley stopped broadcasting Boston Red Sox games last year.
The elder Eckersley has been open about his own struggles with alcohol after getting sober in 1987.
Alexandra is one of Dennis’ two adopted children with ex-wife, Nancy O’Neil. He is currently married to his third wife, Jennifer.