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Jacob Freeman (Craighead County Sheriff”s Office).
An Arkansas resident is facing charges after he allegedly caused injuries to a 2-month-old infant’s scalp, jaw, and chin, then attempted to mislead law enforcement by claiming the baby had fallen off a bed, according to officials.
Nineteen-year-old Jacob Freeman has been charged with second-degree domestic battery involving a child under the age of 12, as confirmed by jail records from Craighead County, which were reviewed by Law&Crime.
The alleged incident took place in Jonesboro, the administrative center of Craighead County in northeastern Arkansas, a region that borders Tennessee, Kentucky, and Missouri.
On February 12, the infant, a 2-month-old boy, was admitted to a local hospital with a chin laceration, bruises on his scalp, jaw, and upper lip, and redness on his left shoulder, according to reports from KAIT-TV, an ABC and NBC affiliate based in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
A nurse at the medical facility alerted the Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Division regarding the concerning nature of the baby’s injuries.
An affidavit alleges Freeman caused the injuries while caring for the child, according to the outlet. Freeman’s relationship to the child was not immediately clear.
Investigators with the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office responded, and they questioned Freeman about what happened.
Freeman told investigators the child had fallen off a bed, but they didn’t buy it. Authorities said the child’s injuries were not consistent with a fall.
The defendant was arrested and booked into the Craighead County jail on Friday morning. He is being held on a $100,000 bond and has been ordered to have no contact with the child.
The defendant is scheduled to be arraigned on March 19.