Authorities said a Woodstock man with multiple previous domestic violence convictions struck a woman in the head with an object early Sunday and then told her she was “fine” and to just go to sleep.

Steven Torres, 48, initially was charged Sunday with misdemeanor domestic battery, records show. But Monday, at his initial court appearance, Judge Cynthia Lamb informed him that the charges were upgraded to domestic battery with at least four previous convictions, a Class 2 felony.

Conviction on a Class 2 felony carries a sentencing range of three to seven years in prison. If a judge finds Torres is eligible for an extended term due to his past convictions, he could face up to 14 years in prison if convicted on the latest charge.

McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Garrett Miller argued that Torres is dangerous and should be detained pretrial in the county jail. Lamb agreed.

Miller said that about 3 a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a home where a woman was found bleeding from a head wound. She told authorities that Torres hit her in the head with a hatchet, then told her she was “fine” and to go to sleep.

Torres then allegedly took away the woman’s cellphone so she couldn’t call for help. She fled to a neighbor’s home, but Torres followed her and told the neighbor “she’s fine,” the prosecutor said.

Torres then fled, and the neighbor let the woman in and called police, Miller said.

The violence has gotten worse, and she fears he will kill her, Miller said the woman told police.

However, Assistant Public Defender David Giesinger said police did not find a hatchet, that Torres denies hitting the woman, and that he told police that the woman fell and hit her head in the bathroom while drunk.

In arguing for pretrial release, Giesinger said Torres could be safely released with conditions including electronic monitoring by court services. He has a job and could stay with family in Carpentersville, ensuring that he will stay away from the woman, the assistant public defender said.

In response, Miller called the attack “heinous,” said Torres poses “an extremely high level of dangerousness,” and said Torres has “an extensive domestic violence background.” After hitting the woman with an object, causing a serious injury requiring medical attention, Torres “almost immediately began normalizing, minimizing ... downplaying” her injuries, Miller said.

When ruling that Torres will be detained pretrial, Lamb noted his four previous domestic violence or domestic battery convictions, which McHenry County authorities said included misdemeanors in Kane County in 2003 and in McHenry County in 2019 and 2020, as well as a 2023 felony conviction in McHenry County.

However, according to Kane County court records and officials, Torres also has convictions in Kane County for felony aggravated domestic battery and felony domestic battery, both from 2011, as well as battery in 2003.