Jonesboro, AR — (JonesboroRightNow.com) — May 21, 2025 — A Jonesboro woman is being held on a $150,000 bond after being accused of striking and beating a child.
While standing before Judge Tommy Fowler on Wednesday, 25-year-old Kyla Bates was charged with three counts of second degree domestic battering and three counts of endangering the welfare of a minor. Fowler said there was the potential for more charges to be added later.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the Jonesboro Police Department was notified of videos of a child being “struck and thrown around” by a female suspect on May 16. A witness submitted the videos to JPD, identifying the woman as Bates and the victim as Bates’s child. The victim is under five years of age.
The videos appear to show two separate instances where the victim was crying. During this time, the affidavit said, Bates strikes the child on their back, picks them up and shakes them by their arms and yells profanities. A later video also showed Bates striking the child with a pair of pants.
An officer spoke with the witness who turned in the videos as evidence. The witness, who lived with Bates, said they had security cameras installed in the living room and kitchen. The witness also told the officer that they had “all of the security footage for the past year,” and turned it over as evidence.
The officer reviewed the footage and found another incident where, according to the affidavit, Bates yelled profanities at the victim, struck them and then threw them onto a couch, causing them to fall on the floor.
Bates turned herself in to JPD on May 21, after which she was transported to the Craighead County Detention Center. Her next court date is set for June 27.
Bates is also ordered to have no contact with the victim except where the Department of Human Services is supervising.
If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, contact the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-482-5964.
