FORT SMITH -- A man was charged in Sebastian County Circuit Court on Wednesday in the Jan. 20 death of a 1-year-old, as well as multiple other offenses.
Jared Lee Ball, 32, was charged with first-degree murder, according to a news release from Prosecuting Attorney Dan Shue. Ball also has been charged with third-degree domestic battery (second offense), aggravated assault on a family or household member, possession of 28-200 grams of mitragynine, misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and being a habitual offender.
Aric Mitchell, spokesman for the Police Department, said officers were called to a home in the 4100 block of North 50th Street at 8:18 a.m. Jan. 20 in reference to a child who was not breathing.
Ball was found in the apartment with three children, according to an affidavit for warrant of arrest. One of the children, a 1-year-old identified as M.C., was in "extreme distress" and taken to Mercy Hospital. The child was pronounced dead at 9:09 a.m., according to the affidavit. The other two children were 3 and 5 years old.
Detectives discovered during the investigation M.C., whose body was sent to the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock for an autopsy, suffered injuries consistent with abuse, according to Mitchell. The child's mother, who is Ball's girlfriend, reported Ball physically abused her multiple times, according to Mitchell.
Detectives interviewed Ball regarding the child's death after learning Ball had been convicted of third-degree domestic battery in Sebastian County, Mitchell said. Ball was then arrested on suspicion of third-degree domestic battery (second offense), although this was not related to the child's death.
It also was discovered Ball had 39.7 grams of the drug kratom in his possession, as well as two glass pipes with residue, according to Mitchell.
The Police Department received the case report from the Arkansas Medical Examiner's Office on Tuesday. The report shows the cause of death as "multiple injuries" and "homicide" as the manner of death, the affidavit states.
"The feedback states 'there was at least one forceful blow to the front of the chest which caused a laceration of the heart and hemorrhage into the pericardial sac,'" the affidavit states. "'This was the injury primarily responsible for death.'"
The affidavit states the medical examiner told investigators the injury couldn't have been caused by the child falling or rolling off the bed and hitting a bedside table. He also said a 5-year-old couldn't have caused it.
Circuit Judge Stephen Tabor set Ball's bail at $500,000 cash, according to Shue's news release. Ball's arraignment is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Feb. 2.
