A Woodstock man was arrested Tuesday on a warrant for skipping court in a case where he is charged with critically injuring an infant in 2019 by causing extensive head, eye and neck trauma to the baby.
Eric H. Hanstad, 37, of the 300 block of West Jackson Street in Woodstock, was indicted in April 2020 on two counts of aggravated battery to a child causing great bodily harm, a Class X felony.
The Woodstock Fire and Rescue District and Woodstock Police Department responded on November 29, 2019, 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 [911] 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 at the time.
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 were collected led to charges being filed against Hanstad in 2020, Lieb previously said.
Hanstad was taken into custody in March 2020 and was released days later after posting 10% of his $300,000 bond.
Hanstad was scheduled to appear in court last Friday for a status on a trial date in the case but he did not appear, according to an order filed by a McHenry County judge.
The judge ordered Hanstad’s bond to be forfeited and issued an arrest warrant carrying a $500,000 bond.
Hanstad was taken into custody on Tuesday and he remains held in the McHenry County Jail. A bond hearing is scheduled for this coming Friday.