Shaken Baby Case Has Jury Selection

Shaken baby case has jury selection By Tracy M. Neal Staff Writer // [email protected] Posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 BENTONVILLE — Jury selection is scheduled today in the case of a Bentonville woman accused of shaking her 2-month-old daughter. Darra Barritt, 36, is charged with battery in the first degree, a class B felony. If convicted, she could receive a sentence of five to 20 years in prison. Potential jurors will report for jury selection at 1:30 p.m. The case is assigned to Circuit Judge Tom Keith. On March 18, 2005, Bentonville police went to St. Mary’s Hospital in Rogers to investigate a possible case of shaken-baby syndrome. The investigation revealed that a 2-month-old girl showed signs of being shaken. She was later taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. According to an affidavit for a search warrant in the case, on March 18 Barritt took her youngest daughter to the Garrett-Goss Clinic for a checkup after Barritt and her mother noticed the baby was twitching. A doctor at the clinic suggested the child be taken to St. Mary’s. The doctor at Garrett-Goss said the baby displayed symptoms of being a shaken baby, the affidavit states. Another doctor told police Barritt said she had shaken her daughter, but not too hard, according to court documents. Clay Fowlkes and Chad Atwell are the prosecutors in the case. Barritt is represented by Bentonville attorney Brian Burke.