By AMANDA ROACH

Staff Writer

A Greencastle man pleaded not guilty in Putnam Circuit Court Wednesday to charges of battery causing serious bodily injury to an infant.

Benjamin Nick Lamon, 22, is being charged with four counts of allegedly battering his 6-week-old son over a period of three weeks. The infant's injuries occurred at different times within those three weeks and were in different stages of healing.

The injuries included a recent skull fracture, a broken right arm from the past seven to 10 days, broken ribs from the past 14 days and a broken leg.

Each of these counts of battery are classified as a Class B felony, and can have a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.

In a probable cause affidavit, Charles L. Bollinger, investigator for the Putnam County Prosecutor's office, stated he interviewed both Lamon and the infant's mother Hope N. Custis, 22, Greencastle, at Riley Children's Hospital on Saturday, March 3.

Bollinger stated he had received a phone call from the Indiana Department of Child Services, informing him that Lamon and Custis had brought their son into the emergency room, where doctors determined his injury to be a skull fracture.

During the interview, Lamon told Bollinger that on Friday, March 2 he noticed a red mark on the infant's head. Even though he knew something was seriously wrong with his son, Lamon stated he did not transport him to the hospital.

As the interview continued, Lamon told Bollinger that when his mother, Wendy Lamon, arrived, she noticed the infant's head was swollen, his eyes were red andhe was having trouble breathing.

Both Lamon and Custis transported the infant to the emergency room at Riley Children's Hospital where doctors have determined the infant's injuries to be a result of abuse, rather than accidental.

During a later interview with Bollinger, Lamon confirmed he had broken the infant's right arm, leg and ribs, but he was not for certain how the skull fracture happened. Bollinger stated in his affidavit that Lamon gave him several different versions of how that injury was caused.

Bollinger arrested Lamon on Saturday for battery causing serious bodily injury. Lamon was arrested July 1, 2006 for the battering of a young person. He was released from jail two days later.

Judge James Harris, a retired judge from Morgan County, set Lamon's bond at $50,000, cash only. His pre-trial conference has been scheduled for May 3 at 8:30 a.m.