Spring Grove father denies harming infant son

A Spring Grove man formally denied allegations Thursday that he broke his infant son's leg in August during a rough diaper changing.

Brian E. Felch, 44, entered a not guilty plea in McHenry County court and asked for a jury trial on a charge of aggravated battery to a child stemming from the Aug. 22 incident.

The incident, authorities say, left the one-month-old boy hospitalized with a broken femur.

A prosecutor said last month that the doctor who examined the boy reported that his injury showed a "very, very high probability of child abuse."

Felch's attorney, however, has questioned the validity of those claims, noting that there were no external marks or bruises indicating blunt force trauma, and the injury was not a "spiral fracture" caused by someone twisting his leg.

Felch, who is free on a $5,000 bond, is scheduled to return to court Dec. 3 for a pretrial status hearing. The charge against him is a Class X felony punishable by a minimum six and maximum 30 years in prison.