A Midway woman, 20-year-old Samantha Sue Laverty, has been arrested and charged with felony counts of battery and endangering the welfare of a minor, following an investigation into injuries sustained by her 18-month-old daughter. Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery termed the injuries “serious.”Sheriff Montgomery says the investigation was prompted by a call from Baxter Regional Medical Center on September 11th of suspicious injuries to a young female child. The injuries included a broken bone and numerous areas of bruising. The child was later transferred to Arkansas Childrens Hospital in Little Rock for treatment.
Arkansas Childrens Hospital reported Laverty, the child’s mother, gave conflicting accounts of how the injuries occurred. She also later gave conflicting statements to sheriffs investigators when interviewed. The injuries sustained by the child were also not consistent with the manner in which Laverty said they occurred.
Montgomery says the child also tested positive for high levels of amphetamines and cannabinoids.
Laverty is being held in lieu of a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Baxter County Circuit Court September 27th to answer to the charges.
The Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Children and Family Services, also participated in the investigation.
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