A Hartselle man was charged early Tuesday with physically abusing a 5-year-old child who sustained severe injuries and was taken to a hospital, according to police.

Hartselle police on Monday received information that Ryan Craig Rezek, 29, had been abusing his girlfriend’s child, according to a police statement, and officers did a welfare check at the address where Rezek and his girlfriend resided.

After speaking with Rezek and the child, police said, the officers determined the 5-year-old had been beaten and sustained “serious physical injuries.”

The child was transported to the hospital for treatment, police said. Rezek was charged with aggravated child abuse and was booked into the Morgan County Jail at 3:27 a.m. Tuesday, according to jail records. He initially was in jail with the bond set at $10,000, but is now being held without bond, according to court records.

Aggravated child abuse of a child under the age of 6 is a Class A felony punishable by up to life in prison.