Man charged with beating girlfriend's 7-year-old son

A 250-pound construction worker accused of severely beating his girlfriend's 7-year-old son was in the Scott County jail Wednesday with a bond set at $525,000.

Travis W. Eaker, 27, of 2800 Woodlawn Drive, No. 57, Scott City, was initially jailed on felony charges of endangering the welfare of a child, with a bond set at $25,000. Prosecutors added first-degree domestic assault to the charges Wednesday after a detective interviewed the boy, who is recovering from the attack in a St. Louis hospital, said Tom Beardslee, chief deputy for the Scott County Sheriff's Department.

With the filing of the second charge, Associate Circuit Judge David Mann increased the bond.

The boy, whose name is being withheld, suffered a lacerated pancreas, a severely bruised and swollen head and severe bruises on his neck, Beardslee said.

The child endangerment charge carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison. The assault charge, if the injuries are considered serious enough, could result in Eaker facing a life sentence.

Sheriff's Sgt. Gregg Ourth visited the boy, Beardslee said. During the attack, which took place May 7, Eaker "picked the kid up by the throat and punched him a couple of times," Beardslee said. Ourth "said you could lay your fingers right in the bruises on his neck."

The boy was the son of Eaker's live-in girlfriend, whose name was also being withheld by authorities. No charges have been filed against her, Beardslee said.

"If she was there and didn't report it, there could be additional charges," he said. "But if she couldn't stop it, the chances of charges would be pretty slim."

The sheriff's department was notified of the attack earlier this week by the Missouri Children's Division, according to a news release from Sheriff Rick Walter. The division, which investigates child abuse and neglect cases, was likely notified of the boy's injuries by hospital workers, Beardslee said.

In a sworn statement filed with the charges, Ourth said his investigation showed that Eaker struck the boy with a closed fist in the stomach, causing the pancreatic lacerations.

The investigation also showed that Eaker "has an extensive criminal history of unrelated charges," Ourth wrote.

The criminal history is from outside Missouri, Beardslee said. Eaker is apparently new to the area, he said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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