Woman agrees to plea deal in child battery case

Heather Shrum agreed to a plea deal Monday and was sentenced to 10 years in prison on aggravated battery charges. (Photo courtesy McLean County Circuit Clerk's office)

By Joe Ragusa

BLOOMINGTON – A woman from Bloomington will see 10 years in prison as part of a plea deal on aggravated battery charges.

Authorities accused Heather Shrum, 20, of hitting her then-five-week-old child in the face in late August and then throwing her on the floor in early September.

Authorities say Shrum originally told police the infant rolled off a couch and a bed, but eventually admitted to police that she caused two skull fractures to the child.

Joe Ragusa can be reached at [email protected].

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…