Michigan man found guilty of punching Elgin boy

A Michigan man was convicted Friday of punching his ex-girlfriend’s 5-year-old child in the groin in 2011, prosecutors said.

Sedrick A. Ballard, 26, of Kalamazoo, Mich., was living with his then-girlfriend and her son in Elgin in November 2011 when authorities say he punched the boy three times in the genital area, causing bruising, severe swelling and a laceration.

The child was taken to Sherman Hospital in Elgin and later to Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, where he remained for four days, according to a news release from the Kane County state’s attorney’s office.

Ballard appeared in court Friday and was convicted of three counts of aggravated battery by Associate Judge Clint Hull. Ballard waived his right to a jury trial, officials said.

He has been at the Kane County jail since his arrest in lieu of $700,000 bail, though it has been revoked since his conviction.

He faces between six and 30 years in prison, and he is due in court May 31 for sentencing.