A 46-year-old Centralia man has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor battery in connection with an incident last December where he was accused of spanking his 11-year-old step-son with a long thin piece of wood and then dropping him off at the side of road two miles from home.
William McClanahan of South Elm admitted in the battery charge of striking the boy on his buttocks. He was placed on two years probation, abstain from drugs and alcohol with random testing, and attend anger management. As part of the plea, charges of aggravated domestic battery, aggravated battery, and endangering the life of a child were dropped.
Centralia Police at the time of the incident said a mail carrier saw the boy left out of a car. When the boy was asked if he was okay, he said he was homeless and wasn’t wanted anymore. Centralia Police fed the boy who said he hadn’t eaten in several days. At that point, the Illinois Department of Family Services took protective custody of the boy and his 12-year-old brother.
At the time he was questioned by police, McClanahan reportedly claimed the boy was planning to run away anyway.
