A New Hampshire man has been sentenced to a minimum of a year in prison for endangering the life of Baseball Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley’s grandchild by leaving the infant in a tent as temperatures 15 degrees (minus 9.4 degrees Celsius) on December 26, 2022.
George Theberge, 45, was sentenced on Monday after pleading guilty to the misdemeanor child endangerment charge, having reached a deal with prosecutors, plus an additional six months behind bars for a probation violation stemming from his arrest in January and a drug charge.
The baby boy was left alone in a tent for more than an hour on December 26 as the temperature plummeted, according to authorities.
A police affidavit referred to Theberge as the boyfriend of the baby’s mother, Alexandra Eckersley, 26, who is accused of abandoning her son without heat or proper clothing. She pleaded not guilty to charges of assault, reckless conduct, and other counts, and was released on bail. She awaits trial next year.
Alexandra’s lawyer said her client didn’t know she was pregnant, gave birth alone, called 911, and led police to the baby. She said Eckersley suffered medical complications. Since then, she said Eckersley has finished rehabilitation programs, is sober, and sees her son on regular visits.
George Theberge (left) was sentenced on Monday after pleading guilty. A police affidavit referred to Theberge as the boyfriend of the baby’s mother, Alexandra Eckersley (right)
Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley of the Oakland Athletics being honored in 2019
The Eckersley family released a statement at the time of her arrest saying they had no prior knowledge of Alexandra’s pregnancy. They said she has suffered from ‘severe mental illness her entire life’ and did their very best 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 behind in the cold.
She also claimed that prior to police arriving, the pair agreed they would not lead officers to their tent in fear it would be torn down and taken away, leaving them without shelter during the winter.
‘Eckersley admitted that she had a conversation with George where they agreed to tell the police that the incident occurred at the soccer fields so that the police would not find and take their tents,’ police said in Alexandra’s arrest report.
‘Eckersley was stating that it is very hard to survive if they had lost their tent because of the cold temperatures during the winter in Manchester. Eckersley stated that this is the reason they turned off the propane heat.’
Alexandra Eckersley allegedly refused to show cops the tent where her baby was resting
Dennis Eckersley was drafted by Cleveland as a California high schooler in 1972, went on to pitch 24 seasons as both a 20-win starter and a 50-save reliever 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 retired last year from broadcasting Boston Red Sox games.
The elder Eckersley has been open about his own battles 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.
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