Mount Prospect man charged with striking infant

A 21-year-old Mount Prospect man faces charges that he struck an infant in the head, severely injuring the baby.

A Cook County judge set bail Thursday at $35,000 for Jovanny Garduno and ordered the defendant to have no contact with the victim or the victim’s mother.

Police charged Garduno with aggravated battery to a child. The 7-month-old was hit in the head with an open hand at about 11:30 a.m. Sept. 8. The child’s head struck a piece of furniture, Cook County prosecutors said.

Prosecutors say the baby remains hospitalized at Lutheran General Hospital after suffering bleeding in the brain and retinal hemorrhaging. The child continues to have seizures. according to Cook County prosecutors.

Garduno’s public defender asked the court to order her client to undergo evaluation at the Cook County Jail’s Cermak Hospital and that he be placed on suicide watch. Prosecutors say he has no criminal background.

If convicted Garduno could face six to 30 years in prison. He next appears in court for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 7.