BROOKLAND, Ark. — A passenger is accused of grabbing a steering wheel from the back seat during an argument over baby wipes, causing a vehicle to overturn with an infant inside, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Eayn Obryan Wright faces two counts of aggravated assault on a family or household member and one count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor. All three are listed as Class D felonies in his first-appearance paperwork.
Police responded about 1:30 p.m. Sept. 13 to a crash near East School and Missouri streets. Officer Eric Stephens found a white vehicle upside down in a ditch near the railroad tracks, according to the affidavit.
Stephens helped the occupants get clear of the vehicle and ditch. Both adults reported no injuries, and the infant appeared to be fine, the affidavit states. The adults told police the child had been secured in a car seat.
Medical personnel checked all three occupants, who declined treatment at the scene. The driver later said she planned to seek a hospital evaluation for herself and the child, according to the affidavit.
Wright initially told Stephens the steering had locked as the vehicle crossed the railroad tracks, causing it to leave the road and roll over, police reported.
The driver gave a different account. She told police an argument over baby wipes began after they left an apartment. She said she turned around to return to the apartment and Wright reached forward from the back seat, grabbed the steering wheel and forced the vehicle into the ditch.
Wright later told Stephens he had grabbed the wheel, according to the affidavit. He said he wanted the driver to stop and let him out, but she continued driving. He told police his door was open when he reached for the wheel and the crash occurred.
Wright was arrested and taken to the Craighead County Detention Center.
Judge Tommy Fowler found probable cause Sept. 14 and set bond at $15,000 cash or surety. The handwritten bond order notes a request from Police Chief Jon Moore. Fowler also ordered Wright to have no contact with the alleged victims and appointed a public defender.
Wright’s next court appearance is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Oct. 26 in Craighead County Circuit Court in Jonesboro.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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