GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Charges were dismissed Monday for a man accused of harboring or aiding a felon and resisting or obstructing an officer in connection with a toddler’s death in Green Bay, according to court records.
David Vanderleest, 49, appeared in court Monday for a pretrial hearing ahead of a now-canceled trial that had been scheduled to begin next week.
Judge Thomas Walsh dismissed the charges against Vanderleest on a prosecutor’s motion, but court records show prosecutors plan to refile them in the future.
David Vanderleest is accused of hiding and harboring his son, James Vanderleest, who is charged with reckless homicide in connection with the death of a 2-year-old child in Green Bay.
Prosecutors accuse James Vanderleest and his father, David Vanderleest, of lying to police and fleeing to a cabin in Florence County.
“He did admit in interviews they had ditched phones, changed phones,” Brown County Deputy District Attorney Wendy Lemkuil said.
A SWAT team reportedly used a flash-bang device to draw the father and son out of the cabin.
The case against David Vanderleest’s son, James, is still ongoing, with a status conference scheduled for Aug. 10.
