A Mountain Home man has been arrested for punching his girlfriend’s four-year-old daughter in the face. Facing a charge of battery in the first degree is 23-year-old Austin Bryce Helms. The charge is a Class Y felony, the most serious crime in Arkansas not punishable by the death penalty.According to the probable cause affidavit, the girl was taken to the emergency room at Baxter Health after she needed to go to the restroom but couldn’t see how to get there and went to her mother’s room crying. When her mother woke up, she saw her daughter’s eyes were swollen shut and her face and neck were red. Once they arrived at the hospital, her face had started to swell and bruising had started to occur on her face, neck, head and ears.
While they were waiting in a room in the emergency room, the girl’s mother asked her what had happened. The girl said Helms hit her, and then made a fist and made a motion towards her face.
After her examination, it was noted she also had bruising on her arms, hands, legs, back, bottom and feet. A CT scan an x-rays confirmed no broken bones or internal injuries.
The victim was released to the custody of the Department of Human Services and taken to Grandma’s House to be interviewed by an investigator with the Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Division. She told the investigator Helms had punched her and also said after she had broken his phone, he hit her hands.
A doctor at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock was contacted who insisted the victim be brought down for observation considering her injuries.
Helms is being held in the Baxter County Detention Center on a $150,000 bond. He is also being held on a parole violation.
Helms has previous convictions for aggravated robbery, theft of property, criminal use of prohibited weapons and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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