Oglesby battery suspect gets April 6 hearing date

An Oglesby man will learn April 6 whether he faces additional or elevated charges stemming from the alleged battery of a small child.

Aaron T. Marsh, 27, who on Tuesday refused to come out of his jail cell, appeared Wednesday in La Salle County Circuit Court and applied for the services of a public defender.

Judge Cynthia M. Raccuglia approved his application and set Marsh over for arraignment in three weeks, by which time a La Salle County grand jury will have reviewed the March 11 incident in Oglesby. There, Marsh is alleged to have punched a child in the head in an incident that was caught on video.

Prosecutors said the child received prompt treatment but at a medical center without the diagnostic equipment to assess whether the child sustained long-term injuries. The evaluation is pending, state’s attorney Joe Navarro said Thursday.

For now, Marsh could face up to five years in prison for aggravated battery to a child, a Class 3 felony that includes the possibility of probation.

Marsh, however, had been placed on probation for a forgery conviction, and prosecutors now are asking to revoke his probation, which could complicate his sentencing range.

Bond previously was set at $150,000; Marsh needs to post $15,000 to be released from La Salle County Jail.