A suburban police officer is in custody following accusations that he beat his girlfriend’s daughter with a paddle, causing injuries to the child.
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, 55-year-old Wayman Vela is facing domestic battery charges in connection with the incident. Vela is a police officer in Round Lake Park, according to authorities, and the department cooperated with Lake County authorities in investigating the case.
Authorities say that on Friday they were dispatched to meet with a Department of Children and Family Services agent who was investigating the matter after a mandated reporter made a report that a young girl may have been battered by her mother’s boyfriend.
According to a preliminary investigation, Vela allegedly struck his girlfriend’s daughter several times on the lower back with a paddle. The five-year-old girl was injured in the incident, and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, according to a press release.
Vela was arrested on Saturday morning and was charged with Domestic Battery, a Class A misdemeanor. Vela is being held on $10,000 bail at the Lake County Jail, and his next court hearing is April 10.
