Father charged with battery of son

Three-month-old Alex Mitchell will suffer long-term effects after being slammed into a changing table by his 41-year-old father, police officials said.

Daniel Mitchell has been charged by prosecutors with two counts of aggravated battery of a child after becoming frustrated with Alex and slamming him into a changing table, sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Christopher Thompson said Wednesday.

He remains in the Lake County Jail on a $750,000 bond. His next court date is Nov. 2.

Aggravated battery of a child charges are Class X felonies, Thompson said. Mitchell could face between 6 and 30 years in jail on each count if convicted.

Thompson said Countryside Rescue was summoned Monday morning to the Mitchells' home in the 25000 block of Tahoe Drive near Mundelein for reports of Alex being sick and lethargic.

Alex was transported to Condell Medical Center where a CAT scan was performed. The CAT scan showed Alex sustained physical trauma, Thompson said.

The infant was airlifted to Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where investigators were advised that Alex will likely remain "for a long time" and "could very likely suffer long-term effects" from the incident, Thompson said. He remains in critical condition.

Police questioned Daniel Mitchell about the incident. The father stated Alex became fussy after soiling a diaper and that he might have slammed Alex into the changing table too hard, Thompson said.

Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said, "To harm any child under any circumstances is simply inexcusable. I am sickened by the actions of Mr. Mitchell and I am confident our justice system will deal with him appropriately."