Round Lake Park police officer charged with domestic battery of a child

A police officer in north suburban Round Lake Park has been charged after allegedly beating his girlfriend’s 5-year-old daughter.

Wayman Vela, 55, of Antioch, faces one count of domestic battery, the Lake County sheriff’s office said.

A Department of Children and Family Services agent was called Friday morning to Vela’s home in the 21600 block of West Grass Lake Road after a mandated reporter said that a 5-year-old girl might have been beaten by her mother’s boyfriend, the sheriff’s office said. The DCFS agent contacted the Lake County sheriff’s office, and a subsequent investigation revealed that Vela had repeatedly struck the girl on the lower back with a paddle.

The 5-year-old was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment and evaluation, the sheriff’s office said.

Vela, a 20-year veteran of the police force, has been placed on non-administrative leave and his police powers have been suspended while Round Lake Park police conduct an internal investigation, Round Lake Park Police Chief George Filenko said.

“As soon as we found out about the circumstances, we took immediate action,” Filenko said.

Vela is being held on $10,000 bail, the sheriff’s office said. He is due back in court April 10.