A DePue man, arrested on a charge of aggravated battery to a child younger than 13 in August, was sentenced to prison Thursday in the La Salle County courtroom of Circuit Judge Cynthia Raccuglia.

Lyle D. Behm, 20, 305 Arlington Drive, pleaded guilty to the Class X felony battery charge in a plea agreement with county prosecutors. The negotiated deposition will send him to the Department of Corrections for nine years with four years of mandatory supervised release.

In open court, prosecutor Matt Kidder told Raccuglia that Behm, while watching a 16-month old boy on July 12 in La Salle, admitting striking the child several times in the groin area causing severe injuries. The infant was taken to a local hospital.

Behm, since his arrest, has been in county lockup under $75,000 bond.

Under current Illinois law, Behn must served at least 85 percent, or 7.65 years, before any opportunity of release.