Deitra Lynn Swigert, 56, was arrested shortly before 7:30 p.m. last Friday after allegedly striking her neighbor’s 8-year-old granddaughter in the head and arm with a wooden stick. Swigert lists a Springwood Drive address.
The Sentinel-Record reported that Swigert allegedly told investigators she hit the child because the girl was “aggravating” her. She faces a felony charge of second-degree battery, which carries a potential sentence of up to six years in prison. She was held on $2,500 bond.
Court Order Bars Contact With Child
A court order barring Swigert from contacting the child was issued Saturday, Oct. 31, according to the Sentinel-Record.
The Sentinel-Record reported that Swigert was scheduled to appear Monday in Garland County District Court. The outcome of that hearing and the case’s current status have not been reported.
Allegations Remain Under Review
No further details about the relationship between Swigert and the girl’s family or the circumstances of the alleged confrontation have been made public.
Statewide child-welfare context
Separately from this case, the Arkansas Department of Human Services reported conducting 34,162 child maltreatment assessments statewide in state fiscal year 2023. That figure counts assessments; it does not establish a substantiation rate or show how such rates have changed in recent years, and it says nothing about the allegations in this case.
