Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Feb. 18, 2025 – A Jonesboro man has been accused of beating two children under the age of five.
Officers with the Jonesboro Police Department responded to an address on Vine Street on Feb. 16 about a welfare concern. When they arrived, officers located two juvenile victims under five years of age. One of the victims had a busted lip and abrasion on their upper forehead, the probable cause affidavit said.
The other victim appeared to be “severely beaten,” with the left side of their head swollen and covered in red marks. Their nose and mouth were also covered in blood, the affidavit said. An ambulance took both victims to an area hospital.
Officers questioned two men present at the scene, who were reportedly evasive when asked about the victims and could not give their names. One of the men was 19-year-old Ottis Grady. Grady told officers the victims’ mother dropped them off so he could take care of them and that one of their victims fell off their bed, causing their injuries.
In the affidavit, officers noted the bed wasn’t high enough off the ground to cause the victims’ injuries.
Officers later contacted a juvenile witness who lives at the residence, who said they knew Grady abused the victims because “he was the only one in there with them when the assault took place,” the affidavit said.
Grady was charged with one count of 2nd degree battery – injures persons over 60 years of age and 12 years of age and younger. He was given a $5,000 cash or surety bond and is to have no contact with the victims.
Grady’s next court date is April 24. He’s being held in the Craighead County Detention Center.
Editor’s Note: To protect the alleged victims, JRN has chosen not to divulge certain details, such as their age and gender.
