A local man arrested on felony charges earlier this year for allegedly causing injuries to two juveniles pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Garland County Circuit Court.
Cylk Christian Tilson, 21, who lists an address of 505 Grove St., appeared with his court-appointed attorney, Mark Fraiser, and pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree domestic battery, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
A hearing to determine the admissibility of any statements Tilson made to Garland County sheriff's investigators is set for Nov. 17. A trial date has not been set yet. Tilson lists no prior felony history.
According to the affidavit, on Sept. 27, 2014, a local woman filed a complaint with the GCSD on behalf of her sons, ages 2 and 4, because of the injuries they allegedly received while under Tilson's care. The mother provided investigators with a signed formal statement on Oct. 2, 2014.
The woman states she resided on New Salem Lane, located off the 1700 block of Mountain Pine Road, with her four children, her boyfriend's cousin, identified as Tilson, and Tilson's girlfriend. She said on Sept. 27 that Tilson and his girlfriend were baby-sitting her children.
When she returned to the residence that afternoon, the 4-year-old told her his "butt" hurt. She checked and found that the boy's buttocks were "very red" and had started to bruise. She checked the 2-year-old and also found bruises on the right side of his hip and on his buttocks. The younger son is reportedly nonverbal and could not say what happened.
The 4-year-old reportedly told his mother Tilson had "whooped" him with a wooden back scratcher. She confronted Tilson and he allegedly admitted to the spankings, claiming her children "were bad" and she didn't discipline them enough.
The injuries to the children were photographed on Sept. 27 and again on Sept. 29. The affidavit notes the injuries "appear to be excessive and not consistent with what is observed as a result of normal discipline."
It was noted Tilson and the victims are blood related and cohabiting and since the victims were both younger than 12 years old the alleged abuse qualified as a class C felony under Arkansas law.
A warrant for Tilson's arrest was issued and he was taken into custody shortly before 5:30 p.m. on March 20. He was released later that same day on $7,000 bond.
Local on 09/03/2015