SOUTH ROXANA – A 31-year-old South Roxana man was charged with two counts of battery after allegedly beating his girlfriend and their infant child.
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Darryl D. Mason, 31, of 718 Connor Apt. B in South Roxana was charged with one count of aggravated battery, a Class 3 Felony, and one count of domestic battery, a Class A Felony, on April 12, 2018, after allegedly causing bodily harm to a 1-year-old male child, identified as D.M. According to the charges filed through the Madison County States Attorney's Office, D.M. Allegedly struck the child repeatedly in the face, which caused bruising. He also allegedly struck a family or household member in the face, causing bruising and a swollen eye, according to the charges.
In a release from the South Roxana Police Department, South Roxana Police Chief Bob Coles said the incident took place on April 11, 2018, at 8:02 a.m. Coles said Mason lives in an apartment with his girlfriend and their 1-year-old child. After receiving a call for domestic battery, Coles said officers arrived to the apartment to find Mason had fled.
An extensive search of the woods followed with assistance from the Wood River, Roxana and Hartford Police Departments, Coles said, and Mason was seen running from the Broadway Place Apartments. A short foot pursuit ended with Mason being taken into custody.
He is now in the Madison County Jail with a bond set at $40,000.
"I cannot stress the importance of contacting 911 when you hear a disturbance," Coles said in a release. "This resulted in a mother and her child allegedly being hurt and could have ended a lot worse. If you hear someone in trouble and feel you do not want to get involved, you can still dial 911 and tell the dispatcher you wish to remain anonymous.
"If people could understand the seriousness of domestic violence, I would hope more would choose to intervene. There is an average of 20 people a minute being physically abused by their partner in the U.S. one in three women and one in four men have been victims of domestic violence. In the U.S police respond to over 20,000 calls of domestic violence and if a gun is involved in a domestic situation the risk of a homicide is increased by 500 percent."
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