GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — James Vanderleest, the Green Bay man accused of causing a 2-year-old's death, was charged with first-degree reckless homicide on Wednesday.
He is also charged with obstructing an officer, and six counts of bail jumping.
Prosecutors say on June 22, Vanderleest was taking care of his ex-girlfriend's two-year-old boy at a home on Alpine Drive in Green Bay when the child suffered life threatening injuries which James said came from a fall down the stairs.
Brown County Deputy District Attorney Wendy Lemkuil said in a June court hearing that the injuries sustained by the two-year-old were "not consistent with a fall down the stairs."
At the hearing, prosecutors said an autopsy shows the child's injuries came from the boy's caretaker, who, at the time, was James Vanderleest.
The man's father, David Vanderleest, was also arrested accused of hiding and harboring his son before they were both taken into custody.
David has not yet been formally charged, but remains in custody at the Brown County Jail.
In an update on Wednesday, Green Bay Police identified the 2-year-old victim as Leo Escalante.
