A Beach Park Fire Department lieutenant has been arrested on child endangerment charges after police say he threw a child onto a bed and battered the child in Waukegan.
The Waukegan Police Department received a walk-in report at the station’s front desk around 5:45 a.m. on December 22 for a domestic battery involving a juvenile victim.
Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Craig Neal said a Waukegan resident came forward as a witness to the incident.
The witness identified the suspect as Pablo D. Ramirez, 34, of Waukegan.
The offense was reported to have occurred at a residence in the 0-100 block of North Martin Avenue in Waukegan, Neal said.
The witness told officers that Ramirez was attempting to discipline the child around 9:30 p.m. on December 18.
Neal said Ramirez threw the child onto a bed and spanked the child. Video footage of the incident was captured and provided to officers.
The Waukegan Police Department Criminal Investigations Division investigated and screened the case with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.
The state’s attorney’s office approved two counts of child endangerment and two counts of domestic battery against Ramirez.
An arrest warrant was issued for Ramirez and he was later taken into custody, Neal said.
The warrant said Ramirez, without legal justification, caused bodily harm to the juvenile, who is a family member, by striking the child about the body, placing the victim’s life or health to be endangered.
Ramirez appeared in First Appearance Court following his arrest and the state’s attorney’s office did not file a petition to detain him pending trial.
A judge released him with pre-trial conditions, including Level 2 pre-trial services monitoring, not to possess firearms, have no contact with the witness or his two children and abide by DCFS recommendations.
He was also ordered not to reside at his home on Martin Avenue in Waukegan if the witness and two children are present.
Ramirez is a firefighter-paramedic and a lieutenant with the Beach Park Fire Department.
He was just recently promoted to the rank late last year. A ceremony was held to recognize his promotion in November.
Ramirez has worked for the fire department for 15 years, serving the community with “professionalism, integrity, and a steadfast commitment to public safety,” according to the department.
“Over the past 3 years, he has demonstrated exceptional leadership as an active lieutenant, consistently upholding the department’s values and guiding his team with excellence,” the fire department said in announcing his promotion.
Beach Park Fire Chief Thomas Stahl told Lake and McHenry County Scanner this week that his department was aware of Ramirez’s arrest and it is under investigation.
Ramirez has so far not been placed on administrative leave or suspension from the fire department, Stahl said.
Ramirez is scheduled to appear in court again on January 22 for a pre-trial hearing.