A 30-year-old Geneva man was sentenced to up to five years of probation and a $2,000 fine on Thursday for endangering his son, who was seriously injured in January of 2011.

Cory Craig Bailey at the end of May pleaded guilty in Freeborn County District Court to felony child endangerment. The plea was classified as an Alford plea, in which a defendant maintains his innocence but recognizes there is sufficient evidence to convict, usually of stiffer penalties.

The boy, now 2 1/2, suffered severe brain injuries that will likely affect his development and functioning levels, according to court documents.

The injuries were reported to authorities by a social worker at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, after the baby was brought into the emergency room at the request of the baby’s mother on Jan. 11, 2011, court documents stated.

Bailey reportedly told police that the baby’s head hit a door frame while he was carrying the child and walking through a door, but medical professionals have stated the injuries were too serious to have been caused in this manner. Court reports stated the baby’s injuries were consistent with “non-accidental trauma.”

Freeborn County Attorney Craig Nelson stated in a previous interview with the Tribune that the conviction means Bailey intentionally or recklessly put his son into a situation where he would receive physical or emotional harm, but it does not mean he caused the harm.

Freeborn County District Court Judge Ross Leuning ordered Bailey complete a parenting class and a cognitive skills program and have no assaultive behavior. He cannot use or possess guns and must complete 40 hours of Sentence to Serve, among other conditions.

If he complies with his probation, the felony charge could be reduced to a lesser charge.

Bailey’s earlier charges of malicious punishment of a child and child neglect were dismissed.