A High Ridge man facing felony charges for allegedly beating and berating a young boy multiple times; screaming at and nearly suffocating a young girl; and abusing a dog was arrested this morning, June 16, in Illinois, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported.
On June 11, the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Mason Lee Williams, 24, with 12 counts of abuse or neglect of a child, each one a class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison. He also was charged with animal abuse, a class A misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000, court records show.
U.S. Marshals had been working with the Sheriff’s Office to arrest Williams after charges were filed, and the U.S. Marshals, along with the Saline County Sheriff’s Office and Eldorado Police Department, took him into custody in Eldorado, Ill., the Sheriff’s Office reported.
Williams was being held today at the Saline County Jail in Illinois, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported. Jefferson County Div. 5 Circuit Judge Tony Manansala had previously ordered that Williams be held without bond after his arrest, court documents said.
“The members of the Sheriff’s Office would like to thank Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Trisha Stefanski’s office for moving quickly to issue charges and our law enforcement partners in Illinois for their work in taking Williams into custody,” Sheriff Dave Marshak said in a written statement.
According to the probable-cause statement in the case, Williams could be seen in video footage from April 16 through May 8 assaulting the children and dog. The children are younger than 6, according to court documents.
Between April 28 and May 8, Williams reportedly hit and yelled at the boy multiple times, striking him in the neck, head, buttocks and legs. Also during that period, Williams allegedly threw the boy onto a bunk bed and into a bean bag chair; picked up the boy by his leg and threatened to throw him out of a window; and hit the boy in the face with a cell phone, the report said.
On April 16, Williams reportedly yelled at the girl to “be quiet” and cursed at her, telling her to shut up. He allegedly grabbed a blanket, put it over her face and pushed her head down hard into a mattress. He also allegedly grabbed the girl by the neck and shoved the blanket into her mouth, making it difficult for her to breathe, according to the report.
Neither child was hospitalized, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Grant Bissell said.
That same day Williams reportedly become angry because a 2-month-old puppy would not follow his commands and grabbed it by the neck, making it yelp, and threw it into a kitchen table, the report said.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Detective Lance Pippin wrote in the probable-cause statement in the case that Williams was considered a flight risk and was likely to leave the country by the end of June.
The Sheriff’s Office previously had received reports accusing Williams of domestic violence, but not involving the children, Bissell said.