A 21-year-old man is facing multiple felony charges after a toddler he was allegedly caring for was airlifted to Marshfield Medical Center with hemorrhages in his brain, spinal column and both eyes, with drugs in his system, court records show.
Medical records contained in court documents show the 16-month-old boy also had bruising to his face, ears, neck, jaw, knee, low back area and buttocks, and his hair tested positive for methamphetamine. The boy was airlifted to the hospital after his mother, who is not charged with a crime in connection with the child’s injuries, took him to a Rhinelander emergency room due to a serious, rapid decline in his health.
Isaiah DeLisle, who is not the boy’s father, faces charges of physical abuse of a child-intentionally causing great bodily harm, resisting an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia in connection with the case. The charges were filed May 18 in Marathon County Circuit Court, roughly two weeks after the boy was injured. Police say the alleged abuse happened at a Wausau home where DeLisle was caring for the child.
Police responded May 2 to Aspirus Rhinelander Hospital to a complaint of suspected child abuse, where a doctor told them the boy sustained serious head trauma that caused a bleed in the brain. DeLisle allegedly blamed the injuries on the bars in the boy’s crib. The doctor told police he saw a straight line bruise around the boy’s neck that could have been caused by a cord or something similar, court records show.
Wausau police became involved when investigators determined that the injuries likely occurred at a South 12th Avenue home.
The boy’s mother told police the boy had been sick for several days and was fussy, but she thought he was teething. While traveling to Rhinelander with DeLisle, the boy began throwing up, prompting her to bring the boy to the hospital. He was med flighted shortly after arrival at the hospital. A medical investigator concluded the injuries were not accidental, according to court documents.
Doctors tested the boy for drugs at the hospital and saw positive results for methamphetamine and THC, court records state. The child’s mother tested negative for illegal drugs, police said.
DeLisle was arrested on May 16 and appeared two days later in Marathon County Circuit Court, where Judge Scott Corbett ordered him held on a $50,000 cash bond. He remains behind bars. A preliminary hearing is set for May 25.
