Police have arrested the 36-year-old Woodstock man charged after he allegedly battered an infant, causing ‘extensive head, eye and neck trauma’ to the baby in 2019.
Eric H. Hanstad, 36, of the 1800 block of Sebastian Way in Woodstock, was charged with two counts of felony aggravated battery and one count of felony aggravated domestic battery.
The Woodstock Police Department took Hanstad into custody Monday evening after an arrest warrant had been issued for him on March 25.
The Woodstock Fire and Rescue District and Woodstock Police Department responded on November 11 to a residence in the 1800 block of Sebastian Way for an infant who had reportedly been dropped and stopped breathing.
“Early in the investigation, it was observed that the way the caller described what had occurred to cause the injuries to the infant, did not match the injuries present on the infant,” Woodstock Police Chief John Lieb said.
The infant was subsequently transported to Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago.
Medical professionals told detectives that the infant had suffered from extensive head, eye and neck trauma, Lieb said.
“It was the opinion of medical personnel that the trauma caused to the infant had been intentionally inflicted. Many of the injuries were consistent with the infant being violently shaken,” Lieb said.
A criminal complaint filed in court alleges that Hanstad shook the infant, causing a subdural hematoma that required surgery, two skull fractures, retinal hemorrhaging, bruising in the right inner ear, and swelling of the ligaments of the neck.
Detectives interviewed those who had contact with the infant prior to the injuries being discovered. Those interviews and evidence that was collected led to charges being filed against Hanstad.
Hanstad remains held in the McHenry County Jail on a $500,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court next on June 2.