The state charged a registered sex offender Saturday with felony abuse of an infant only 7 weeks old as a result of a police investigation.

St. Joseph Police Department investigator Frank Till filed a sworn statement with the courts alleging that Zachery K. Ellis, 21, of St. Joseph, squeezed the infant until its ribs broke. Mr. Till stated that Mr. Ellis also jerked the infant by the legs and arms, causing spiral fractures on all four limbs. The infant also sustained bruising to its lungs, spleen damage and tearing to the inside of the mouth, Mr. Till stated.

The victim is in stable condition Monday at Children's Mercy in Kansas City, said Capt. Kevin Castle, a police spokesman. The child was brought to Heartland Regional Medical Center on Thursday night and transferred to Children's Mercy, Mr. Castle said. An emergency room nurse in the Kansas City hospital contacted police in the early morning hours Friday and indicated that the injuries were consistent with child abuse, he said.

Witnesses near Mr. Ellis' home said police arrested him at 5 a.m. Sunday.

A friend, Theresa Miller, told St. Joe Now that she'd known Mr. Ellis for six years and believed he was innocent of the charge.

Mr. Ellis entered a guilty plea in September 2006 to a misdemeanor charge of second-degree child molestation. In that case, Detective Trenny Wilson filed a sworn statement with the court stating that Mr. Ellis allegedly had intercourse with a child under the age of 14. The court agreed at that time to enter a suspended imposition of sentence, providing Mr. Ellis completed two years supervised probation. In May 2007, Mr. Ellis had his probation revoked and was ordered to serve a year in jail.

Mr. Ellis is listed as a registered sex offender on the state sex offender Web site.

Associate Circuit Court Judge Ronald Taylor denied a request for bond stating that the defendant is a danger to the victim. The judge ordered Mr. Ellis to appear for an arraignment at 8:15 a.m. today and remain locked up in the Buchanan County Jail.