Father arraigned in death of 1-month-old son

A Radcliff father accused in the death of his 1-month-old son is being held on a $50,000 full cash bond at the Hardin County Detention Center.

DAVIS

Jarrod D. Davis, 23, pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter Thursday at his arraignment in Hardin District Court. Kentucky Revised Statutes define second-degree manslaughter as wantonly causing the death of another person.

He is scheduled to appear Jan. 28 for a preliminary hearing in district court at which time a judge will determine if there is probable cause to forward the case to the grand jury to pursue indictment.

The baby — identified only as J.D. in a citation — died Tuesday. Radcliff police arrested Davis on Wednesday following a second interview with police.

Police and the Hardin County Coroner’s Office have not released the baby’s name because of the ongoing investigation.

Bryce Shumate, spokesman for Radcliff Police Department, said when police responded Tuesday morning to Davis’ University Drive apartment, he told investigators he found the baby dead in his crib.

Following an autopsy Wednesday, Coroner Dr. Bill Lee notified police preliminary results indicated the baby’s cause of death was multiple injuries, which Shumate said led investigators to interview Davis a second time.

It was not until detectives confronted Davis again that he told police the baby struck his head on the side of a crib after Davis dropped him.

Court records show prior to this incident Davis did not have a criminal record in Hardin County.

However, the sheriff’s office arrested Davis in December on a warrant out of Meade County, where he was found guilty in 2012 of driving under the influence, careless driving and failure to use a proper signal, according to records.

He was sentenced to probation, and according to the Meade County Circuit Clerk’s Office, a revocation hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6 by motion of the county attorney.

According to KRS, second-degree manslaughter is a Class C felony, which is punishable by five to 10 years in prison if found guilty.

Sarah Bennett can be reached at (270) 505-1750 or sbennett@thenewsenterprise.com.