A New Richmond man who police say hit his 5-year-old son in the face so hard it ruptured the child’s eardrum is now facing multiple battery charges.
The felony charges were filed this week in Montgomery Circuit Court against George M. Winter, 30, after he allegedly slapped his son in the face in May. The boy reported the incident to an emergency room doctor who treated the child for injuries at IU Health Frankfort, according to a probable cause affidavit. The boy’s mother took him there for treatment of injuries including bruising to the face and a ruptured tympanic membrane, or eardrum.
Winter is being charged with one count of domestic battery resulting in bodily injury with a victim under the age of 14 and one count of battery resulting in bodily injury when the victim is under the age of 14, both Level 5 felonies, and battery resulting in moderate bodily injury, a Level 6 felony.
According to court records, the boy told police that the incident happened at his father’s New Richmond home when he said he accidentally struck his younger brother. In response, the boy said he was struck in the face by his father and that it “felt very bad,” the probable cause states.
The boy told police he was later put to bed and didn’t indicate that he had ever been struck by his father in a similar manner before, according to the affidavit.
Winter was arrested on a warrant and booked into the Montgomery County Jail at 5:20 p.m. Thursday. He posted a $1,000 cash bond by Friday afternoon.