'We are taking this case incredibly seriously,' Rantoul man arraigned in connection to 8-year-old's stabbing
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — A Rantoul man made his first appearance in court in relation to a domestic incident that left an eight-year-old boy stabbed. At the same time, WCIA is learning new details about what happened.

The stabbing happened Tuesday morning at North Maplewood and Falcon Drives. The incident started between the boy’s mother and her boyfriend but ended with the boy being hospitalized in serious condition at Calre Hospital. He has since been stabilized.

Henry Carr, 25, was arrested at gunpoint in connection with that incident. He’s now facing three charges, including a Class X felony, which he was arraigned on Thursday.

Julia Rietz, the Champaign County State’s Attorney, explained how a confrontation between adults could end with a child being stabbed.

Carr is facing three counts. Two are misdemeanors for domestic battery.

“Alleging that he caused bodily harm to her, either by striking her repeatedly with a closed fist or also by striking her repeatedly with a wood board or a stick-type object,” Rietz explained.

But the third count is far more serious. It’s a Class X count of aggravated battery, which carries a sentence ranging of 6 to 30 years in prison, if convicted.

“It alleges that the defendant committed a battery causing great bodily harm to the child under the age of 13 by swinging a knife and cutting the child in the abdomen and causing internal injuries,” Rietz said.

Rietz said there’s been a history of domestic violence at the address, but the mother and Carr haven’t been cooperative in the past. This time, the mother told police what happened Tuesday morning.

“During the course of the fight, her sons got involved with Henry,” Rietz said. “The defendant had a knife, and he was swinging the knife around, and the eight-year-old was hit with the knife. She also reported that he had hit her with a wooden stick and had punched her.”

Rietz said the mother’s two children also talked about the incident, the eight-year-old victim from a hospital bed and his seven-year-old younger brother from the Children’s Advocacy Center.

“(The) seven-year-old said that Henry got a knife and was swinging the knife around and cut his brother in the stomach and that his brother’s insides were coming out, and it was very scary,” Rietz said. “They had then interviewed also the eight-year-old in the hospital after he was out of surgery and conscious, and he has similarly said that he and his brother had tried to protect mom and that he got stabbed by Henry.”

Rietz added that child protective services is involved, and the state is proceeding with child welfare court to ensure the safety of the children.

“We are taking this case incredibly seriously,” Rietz said. “These boys were very brave to try to protect their mother, and so we are going to do everything that we can do to protect them.”

During Carr’s arraignment, the subject of Carr’s pretrial detention or release was left to be decided the following day. He requested a preliminary hearing, which was scheduled for July 2.

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