Carol Stream stepmom charged with battery against infant

A Carol Stream woman is being held on $250,000 bond after being accused of putting nail polish remover in her 17-month-old stepdaughter's baby bottle.

Andrea Vazquez-Hernandez, 36, of the 600 block of Hearth Lane, has been charged with aggravated battery and domestic battery.

Authorities said Carol Stream police responded to a call May 29 at Vazquez-Hernandez's home regarding a child who may have ingested nail polish remover.

When they arrived, officers spoke to the baby's father, who said he tried to give his daughter a bottle of milk, but she immediately spit out the contents. He said he brought the girl to the hospital where all her tests came back normal and she was released.

But authorities said their investigation indicates that earlier in the day the baby's stepmother put about an inch of nail polish remover in the girl's bottle.

"The allegations against this defendant are extremely disturbing," DuPage State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a written statement. "Thankfully, the young victim in this case did not ingest any of the nail polish remover allegedly supplied by her stepmother."

Vazquez-Hernandez's next court appearance is scheduled for June 27 in front of Judge John Kinsella. If convicted of aggravated battery, she could be sentenced to up to five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.