JEFFERSON COUNTY — A 32-year-old Mt. Vernon man was sentenced Wednesday in Jefferson County court to nearly three decades in prison for battery to a child.

Ronald Phillips was arrested in April 2017 and charged with Class X felony aggravated battery to a child under the age of 13 causing permanent disability.

A Jefferson County jury found Phillips guilty in September after a nearly four-day trial. He was sentenced Wednesday to 28-years in prison.

He will have to serve 85 percent of that sentence and then complete three-years mandatory supervised relase.

According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, they were notified on March 31, 2017, by staff at St. Mary’s hospital in Mt. Vernon that a child was in their Emergency Room and they suspected the child was a victim of Shaken Baby Syndrome.

Following an investigation by sheriff’s deputies and the Department of Children and Family Services, a warrant was issued for Phillips’ arrest.

He was taken to the Jefferson County Jail where he’s remained since his April 2017 arrest, with bail set at $500,000.