Edwards County States Attorney Mike Valentine announced Friday afternoon that 19 year old Danny R. Hinds was convicted of felony aggravated battery against his seven week old son. Hinds was sentenced to 12 years in prison by Judge David Frankland and will have to serve at least 85% of that time due to the severity of the crime. Hinds was also sentenced to three years of mandatory supervised release following incarceration.
Hinds was accused of severely shaking the child last June, causing several broken bones. The child is currently living with relatives. Valentine stated that he was thankful that authorities were able to intervene before the child sustained further injuries. He also hoped that the sentence would serve as a warning to anyone else.
The case was investigated by the Southern Illinois Child Death Investigation Task Force, Illinois State Police, DCFS, Albion Police Department, and the Edwards County Sheriff’s Department.
Hinds is being held at the White County Jail pending his transfer to Illinois Department of Corrections custody.
