A father has been arrested after police say he punched his 7-year-old child in the chest, lifted him by the neck and threw him before holding him down and threatening him in Fox Lake Tuesday morning.
The Fox Lake Police Department received a report around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) regarding a domestic battery, according to Fox Lake Police Department Sgt. Rick Howell.
The incident occurred earlier that morning at a residence in the 600 block of Crystal Springs Drive in Fox Lake.
The suspect, Michael R. Klosowski, 42, of Fox Lake, was accused of battering his 7-year-old son.
The incident was reported to DCFS after the child disclosed the abuse to a school counselor, Howell said.
An initial investigation showed that Klosowski struck the child in the chest with a closed fist, lifted him by the neck, threw him onto a chair and held him down while making threatening statements, Howell said.
The child was observed to have visible injuries, including bruising and marks on his neck and chest, as well as an approximately four-inch abrasion on his chest.
Investigators, in coordination with DCFS, responded to the child’s school and took the child into protective custody.
Howell said the child was transported to Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital for medical evaluation.
It was determined that the 7-year-old boy was the only child in the household. He was placed into the temporary custody of an extended family member, Howell said.
Investigators located Klosowski at his place of employment around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday and he was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Fox Lake Police Department.
Police investigators brought the child to the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center for a forensic interview on Wednesday.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges of domestic battery causing bodily harm and domestic battery physical contact, both Class A misdemeanors.
Klosowski remains in custody at the Fox Lake Police Department and is set to be brought to First Appearance Court in Waukegan on Thursday morning.
The state’s attorney’s office will be filing a petition to detain Klosowski pending trial. Howell said the investigation remains ongoing.