A 43-year-old Kinmundy man has been formally charged in Marion County Court with aggravated battery to a child under 13 and domestic battery.
Benjamin Beard of West 4th is accused of grabbing the girl around the neck in the aggravated battery charge and for striking her in the face with a flip flop in the misdemeanor domestic battery case.
Judge Mark Stedelin set bond at $5,000 even though prosecutors had asked for $50,000. If released on bond, Beard was ordered to have no unsupervised contact with the girl, her residence, or vehicle.
Salem Police say the investigation began on Monday after it was reported to DCFS that the girl had abrasions on her neck. They learned the injuries were tied to an incident in a car outside Salem Bowl on Saturday night. Police characterized the incident as ‘discipline that got out of hand’.
The girl was taken to the hospital to be checked on Monday.
After questioning, Beard was taken into custody on the charges.
