Father Charged After Doctors Determine Infant's Injuries Caused By 'Shaking'
(STMW) -- A northwest suburban man who called 911 to report his 4-month-son was in distress ended up behind bars after doctors determined the infant's injuries were caused by being violently shaken, leading to a fractured skull.
About 4 p.m. Saturday, Woodstock Police and Fire/Rescue District personnel were called to the 1400 block of Commons Drive, after Cody A. Pennington reported a "medical situation" with his son, according to a statement from Woodstock police.
Pennington, 20, told paramedics the baby "appeared to be in distress, was having difficulty breathing and was crying uncontrollably," according to police.
The infant was taken to Centegra Hospital in Woodstock, but when doctors there discovered "hemorrhaging on its brain as well as a fracture of the skull," the child was flown by helicopter to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, police said.
Advocate Lutheran staff later contacted police and DCFS when doctors "determined that the injuries sustained were consistent with injuries caused by violently shaking an infant," Chief Robert Lowen said in the statement.
Detectives went to the hospital, met with doctors and interviewed both parents, and early Sunday, Pennington was arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm to a child under 13, all Class X felonies, police said.
As of Monday morning, Pennington remained in the McHenry County Adult Correctional Facility on a $250,000 bond and is due back in court at 9 a.m. Wednesday in Woodstock, according to police.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2015. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)