3 years in prison for hitting boy, 10

A Cole County man charged with hitting a boy under the age of 10 in the chest with a belt in June 2014 has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Jonathan Richardson, 26, was charged with one count of felony child abuse.

Court documents show the victim was found unsupervised and wandering a street late at night.

Authorities noticed the boy had a bloody bandage on his left shoulder and what appeared to be a long scrape approximately 10 inches long that ran across his chest.

The boy said Richardson hit him with a belt.

During an interview with authorities, Richardson said he struck the boy four to five times across his chest and back.