(Lomira) A father charged for his role in mistreating a child who died in Lomira over three years ago has been arraigned. Frank Pleester of Milwaukee entered a not guilty plea to three felony counts of Neglecting a Child Consequence is Bodily Harm and a misdemeanor charge of Resisting.
Jamie Hildebrandt was sentenced to 10 years in prison in July of 2021 in connection to her son’s death. The 35-year-old admitted to stepping on the infant after laying him on the bathroom floor to reach for more diapers and forgetting he was there. The autopsy report concluded that there were multiple blunt force injuries to the child’s head, chest, and back.
According to the complaint, the young victim was seriously neglected before his death. Dodge County authorities say Hildebrandt treated him differently from other children in the household, often excluding him from family events, and physically tortured him. The child was neglected medically, as both parents reportedly failed to bring him in for doctor appointments. He was also chronically malnourished at the time of his death.
State prosecutors say Pleester knew of Hildebrandt’s actions towards the child and failed to act. An alleged text conversation between Pleester and a relative of Hildebrandt just months before the child’s death suggested he knew she was neglecting his child.
He was also allegedly aware that Hildebrandt used drugs which affected her ability to care for the infant. Pleester reportedly denied knowing any of this when he was first interviewed by investigators but later admitted he did.
If convicted, the 36-year-old faces just over 18 years behind bars.
