A Rogers man has been arrested on the offense of capital murder after an 11-month-old was found not breathing, with suspicious bruises and possible shaken baby syndrome, at the 8th Street Motel, officials said.
Michael Proffitt Jr., 37, was arrested Tuesday on a charge of capital murder. Proffitt's son is the fiancé of the infant's mother, police said.
Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Van Stone on Wednesday filed an affidavit of probably cause requesting that Proffitt be held without bail. Stone's office will file formal charges sometime before Proffitt's next court date, scheduled for July 9, said legal assistant Debbie Herndon.
Proffitt was babysitting the baby when the child was injured, police said. A witness told 5NEWS that when emergency officials took the boy from the motel room, the child's injuries were evident.
"EMT comes up here and gets the little boy and they hurry up and rush him down, and he is black and blue," said Viola Harris, 8TH Street Motel front desk worker.
The baby was taken to Mercy Medical Center for treatment. While the baby was in the hospital, the police department began an investigation that included interviews with family members. The baby was later taken to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, where he died two days later.
Proffitt told police he became frustrated when the child would not stop crying, the affidavit states. Proffitt told officers he became frustrated with the child and shook him about once a month.