Lincoln man pleads not guilty in toddler's death

LINCOLN -- A 38-year-old Lincoln man has pleaded not guilty to murder in the beating death of his girlfriend's 2-year-old son.

Ty Cline entered the plea Tuesday and remains in the Logan County Jail on $500,000 bond.

Cline is accused of murder in the death of Lucas Tyler Alberts, who was taken to a hospital in Lincoln by his mother, Jody Alberts, on Aug. 23. The child was transferred to a Peoria hospital, where he died of head injuries the next day.

According to police reports, Cline was dating the boy's mother and had been baby-sitting the toddler the day before his injuries were discovered.