Local man arrested on felony battery charge for injuries to 1-month-old baby

Clark
Clark

A local man was arrested Tuesday afternoon on a felony battery warrant for allegedly causing injuries to his 1-month-old daughter last week.

Shane Alexander Clark, 20, of 585 Belvedere Drive, unit A-3, was taken into custody at his residence shortly after 2:30 p.m. and charged with first-degree domestic battery, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Clark was still being held without bond Wednesday and is set to appear Sept. 2 in Garland County District Court.

According to the affidavit, the female victim, who was born in July, was admitted to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock on Aug. 12, having been transferred there from CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs.

The victim was diagnosed with a fractured skull, swelling and bleeding of the brain, and bruising on her buttocks. It was noted she has had several seizures and as of Monday afternoon was breathing on a ventilator.

Doctors reportedly also diagnosed her as having retinal bilateral hemorrhaging, which they described as being consistent with the baby being shaken.

On Aug. 13, a doctor at Children's told Garland County sheriff's investigator Mike Wright that the victim's head injuries could not have been caused by a simple fall or other similar incident and that they were the result of physical abuse, in particular a blunt force trauma to the head.

The doctor noted the trauma would have occurred within 24 hours of the victim being admitted to the hospital.

On Aug. 13, Wright interviewed the victim's mother, who provided a timeline of events from the morning of Aug. 11 until the victim was taken to St. Vincent. She could not provide any explanation for the injuries sustained by the victim.

She advised the victim was left alone with her boyfriend, identified as Clark, who is the victim's father, on two different occasions -- once on Aug. 11 and once on Aug. 12.

On Aug. 14, Wright interviewed Clark, who initially denied knowing what could have caused the victim's injuries. Wright notes that Clark ultimately admitted to causing the victim's head injuries, but claimed it was an accident.

He states he accidentally dropped the victim on Aug. 12 while trying to pick her up off the sofa in the living room of the victim's mother's residence. He noted this happened while the mother was at the store and he didn't tell her about it afterward.

On Friday, Wright spoke on the phone to another doctor at Children's and told her about Clark's explanation of the injuries, and the doctor stated the victim's injuries could not have been caused from an incident like Clark described.

A warrant for Clark's arrest was obtained Tuesday morning and he was taken into custody that afternoon.

Local on 08/21/2014

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