Man charged after police say he threw a rock and caused brain damage to a child

An East St. Louis man is in jail after police say he threw a rock through a car window and hit a young boy, fracturing his skull and causing him brain damage.

Rufus L. Thomas Jr., 25, was charged with one count of reckless conduct resulting in great bodily harm on Oct. 9, charging documents from St. Clair County Court state.

The charge stems from an incident that occurred on Dec. 21, 2016. According to the documents, the boy was hit in the face with the rock. He was only 3 years old at the time.

Thomas also faces one count of criminal damage to property for the broken car window.

His bail was set at $25,000.

St. Clair County prosecutors did not release additional information about the pending case.

East St. Louis police did not respond to requests for comment.

This story was originally published November 1, 2018 at 4:22 PM.