George on trial for allegedly hitting son

DIXON – A Dixon man charged with shaking his infant daughter to death in September 2010 will go to trial this spring in a separate case in which he is accused of hitting his young son a month earlier with a wand from a set of mini-blinds. Charles T. George, 34, will be tried May 23 on felony and misdemeanor domestic battery charges.

The trial is expected to last two days. His final pretrial conference is May 3.

George also is charged with two counts of aggravated battery of a child, aggravated domestic battery and involuntary manslaughter in the death of his 3-month-old daughter, Tamari O. George.

She died Sept. 23, 2010, after five days in a Rockford hospital.

As they investigated Tamari’s death, allegations were made of George hitting his son in August 2010, police said.

The involuntary manslaughter case essentially is at a standstill. Prosecutors are appealing a judge’s decision to toss out George’s confession to police.

In October, Lee County Judge Ron Jacobson ruled his confession inadmissible because it was made after George “clearly and unequivocally” asserted his right to remain silent during an interview with police.

A decision from the Illinois Second District Appellate Court could be months away, prosecutors have said.

George is formerly of Princeton and Ohio and pleaded guilty several times in Bureau County courts to charges of both battery and domestic battery.

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