Man Jailed in Medford Faces Charge in 3-Year-Old's Death

A 23-year-old Sacramento man is awaiting extradition to California after Oregon authorities arrested him in Medford in connection with the death of a 3-year-old Sacramento boy.

Sacramento police say Joseph Phillip Skates was to blame for the major head trauma that led to Manuel Maciel's death on Nov. 7. He was arrested Wednesday with the assistance of the Jackson County Sheriff's Department.

California authorities learned of the toddler's injuries after they stopped a vehicle that was being driven erratically. The toddler's grandmother was in the car and told the California Highway Patrol officer she was heading to a medical emergency. The officer followed the car to the apartment.

Skates lived with the boy's mother and her brother at the time of the incident. A fire captain became suspicious after responding to a report of the child not breathing and being unresponsive. The child later died at U.C. Davis Medical Center.

Click here for more on this story from Sacramento's KCRA.com.