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Aurora man gets 4 years for beating kids with metal rod

An Aurora man was sentenced to four years in prison on Friday for beating his girlfriend’s three children with a metal rod, prosecutors said.

Oscar Leija, 41, of the 500 block of North Avenue in Aurora, accepted the sentence in exchange for a guilty plea to three counts of aggravated battery.

Kane County prosecutors said on Aug. 13, 2012, Leija struck his live-in girlfriend’s three children several times across the buttocks with the metal rod after he became angry with them.

Authorities said the children, all of whom were younger than 13, suffered “severe, deep bruising” on their buttocks.

The children later were taken to the doctor for treatment; the doctor believed the bruising was suspicious and contacted the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services in accordance with the state’s child abuse mandated reporting laws, officials said.

Leija is eligible for day-for-day sentencing, and he received credit for 409 days served in the Kane County jail, where he has been held in lieu of bond since his arrest.

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