Woman Faces Felony Battery After Fractures Found in Newborn Baby

JONESBORO, Ark. — A woman was ordered held on a $250,000 bond after her newborn baby was found to have fractured bones consistent with being battered, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Katie Ann Williams, 24, of Bay, was in court before Judge Tommy Fowler on Wednesday, October 23. Judge Fowler found probable cause to charge her with second-degree domestic battery, a Class C felony.

Advertisement
Advertisement

The judge noted he was “deeply troubled” by the alleged facts in the case. Fowler said it appears to be the second fracture on a child who was born with positive tests for THC and fentanyl at birth. Because of that, he set $250,000 bail cash or surety with an ankle monitor requirement and a no-contact order with her child.

The probable cause affidavit says that on October 16, Bay police took a report from the Crimes Against Children Division saying on the same day, Williams took her 7-week-old infant to NEA Baptist Hospital for what she believed was a dislocated leg. X-rays showed an acute nondisplaced fracture midshaft of the left tibia.

At the time, the infant was transferred to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, with DHS taking custody. It was noted in the affidavit that it was already on file that the infant tested positive for THC and fentanyl at birth.

Police spoke with a doctor at the hospital. The doctor advised the break in the left tibia was consistent with a 45-degree bend, with a twisting motion. On October 17, police interviewed Williams, who said she had gotten up between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. to feed the baby while a male in the home slept. She said after she fed him, he needed a diaper change. That’s when she stated she felt and heard what she believed to be a bone pop while changing the infant. Williams checked the baby into the emergency room at 11:52 a.m. that morning.

On October 21, doctors found a second fracture in the infant’s left leg. This was around the baby’s left ankle, but due to the tissue around it, they were unable to date when the fracture occurred. It was noted the second fracture might have occurred when the first took place. The doctor noted the fractures would have been sustained under a great physical force, due to how durable infant bones are.

Because of the seriousness of the injuries, the decision was made to charge the woman.

Williams faces three to ten years in prison on the felony battery charge. She sobbed in court on Wednesday as the judge read her PC affidavit. The judge noted that the child is still at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital in the custody of DHS. The child’s condition was not mentioned.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.