Lakemoor father arrested after allegedly hitting 3-month-old son

A Lakemoor man is behind bars after intentionally hitting his 3-month-old child in the head when the baby wouldn't stop crying, police officials said Tuesday.

Jeremy Legeai, 27, of the 800 block of Game Trail, is in Lake County jail after being charged with aggravated battery of a child, a Class X felony, Lakemoor acting police chief Richard Iverson said. If convicted, Legeai could spend 30 years in prison.

Iverson said police were contacted May 20 by officials from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services with a report a child was in the emergency room of Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital near Barrington suffering from a severe head trauma.

After the baby was transferred via Flight for Life to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, officers interviewed the mother and grandmother, he said. The child is listed in critical condition at Lutheran General, officials said.

When officers interviewed Legeai, he initially said he accidentally bumped the child's head on a door when he was walking and feeding him.

However, Legeai eventually admitted to police the child refused to stop crying, so he put him down on the couch and hit him hard in the side of the head, Iverson said. The child cried for another minute before slumping over and going limp, he added.

Legeai phoned the child's mother at work, Iverson said, and she rushed home. They took the child to Good Shepherd.

Iverson said Legeai was charged by the Lake County state's attorney's office May 21, and remains in custody in lieu of $250,000 bond, of which he must post 10 percent.

The case is under investigation and more charges could be filed, he said.