Police in Arkansas say a father admittedly shook and hurled his 3-month-old baby, leading to his arrest this week.
One count of domestic battery in the second degree resulting in physical injury is against 25-year-old David Allan Becker, according to records from the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office.
Law enforcement officials say the infant boy is still alive, but his brain and eyes are bleeding from the violence he endured. The child’s father allegedly lied multiple times to cover up the infant’s horrific injuries while the investigation continued.
An affidavit of probable cause received by Jonesboro-based ABC, NBC, and The CW Plus station KAIT states that on Sept. 23, a member of the Arkansas State Police was called by the Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock regarding a newborn with brain damage.
State police allegedly heard Becker claim that he was grabbing his young son as he was tossed into the air during a seizure, prompting him to dial 911.
The severity of the child’s injuries, though, seemed to rule out that possibility.
The court filing details the injuries, which include bilateral brain hematomas, extensive retinal hemorrhaging behind the eyes, and damage to the spinal cord.
“I asked the doctor what would cause the injuries, and she told me that rapid acceleration of the head and violent shaking or slamming of the baby would cause the injuries to his brain and spinal cord,” a state police investigator wrote in the affidavit.
Becker allegedly provided police with a different account of events on September 24 while they were questioning him at his residence.
“[Becker] told me that he was frustrated and the baby had spit up, and he threw the baby onto the bed, landing on his stomach, with his head hitting the bed,” the affidavit reads.
The investigator was still unsatisfied and told the defendant that the baby had to have been shaken for the injuries to have occurred. According to the police, Becker changed his account yet again.
“He told me that he had the child in his arms and was shaking it back and forth for around two minutes while he fixed him a bottle,” the affidavit reads. “I asked him if the baby’s head was whipping back and forth, and he told me, ‘A little.’”
The Craighead County Detention Center was the site of the defendant’s arrest later that day. According to jail records, he was freed on September 25th after posting a bond of $100,000 in cash or surety.
According to a courtroom report by KAIT, Judge Tommy Fowler of the Craighead County District Court imposed a no-contact order during a hearing on Wednesday. This order is meant to keep the male away from the child. Additionally, the court determined that there was sufficient evidence to uphold the defendant’s battery allegation.
On November 14th, Becker is scheduled to make his next court appearance.