Bono man charged in death of infant

JONESBORO — Authorities charged the father of a 4-month-old with second-degree murder Tuesday after he said he shook the baby earlier this month, according to police.

Seth Bradley Smith, 25, of Bono is being held in Craighead County jail in Jonesboro in lieu of a $50,000 bond set Tuesday by Jonesboro District Judge Thomas Fowler.

According to an arrest affidavit filed by Sgt. Ron Richardson of the Craighead County sheriff’s office, police were summoned to Smith’s home Oct. 3 after he called 911 and said his baby was having difficulty breathing. Emergency personnel attempted to resuscitate the baby but failed, Richardson said in the affidavit.

Police sent the child’s body to the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock where medical examiners determined the baby suffered traumatic brain injuries, neck contusions and intramuscular hemorrhaging consistent with “shaken baby” syndrome.

Investigators asked Smith after receiving the autopsy’s findings, and he said he shook the baby for a few seconds after the child became “fussy,” the affidavit said.

“He said this lasted for a few seconds and he caught himself and knew it was wrong and he shouldn’t be doing it,” Richardson wrote in his affidavit.

Fowler set Smith’s next court date for Nov. 22 in Craighead County Circuit Court in Jonesboro.