An Illinois teenager is facing a felony charge after being accused of shaking and squeezing his infant son hard enough for the baby to suffer fractures. The mother had taken the baby to a hospital for an exam when the alleged abuse was uncovered. Doctors discovered the 5-month-old had several fractures. The teenager has been charged with two counts of aggravated battery of a child, a felony charge in Illinois.
Evidence uncovered in this case allegedly shows the man was alone with his son when the incident occurred, and that he had handled him so violently it caused the baby to suffer fractures. The mother lived with him when it happened, but authorities do not believe she was in any way involved. The baby received medical treatment and is now staying with a relative of the mother.
It is alleged the man twisted the baby’s leg and squeezed his arm hard enough to cause several fractures on both areas of the body. He is facing serious prison time if — and only if — a conviction is obtained, because both are Class X felonies, punishable by a six to 30 year prison term. The man’s bail has been set at $250,000 although he is not currently in custody.
Incidents like these are, regrettably, not unheard of, but with children they are especially hard to face. Whether or not this occurrence was an accident or there is some other reasonable explanation is as of yet unknown, but the man will be able to defend against these charges as the case works its way through the Illinois criminal justice system. He is, of course, fully entitle to the presumption of innocence and will hopefully be able to refute the felony charge against him and clear his name.
Source: The Edwardsville Intelligencer, “Teenager charged with shaking baby,” Steve Horrell, May 25, 2012