Man Arrested In Bethany For Spanking 15-Month-Old Baby

A man was arrested on October 17 at a motel in Bethany for spanking a 15-month-old baby.

Matthew Paul Beckett, 21, was arrested on one count of child abuse. According to Bethany police, at about 10 p.m. on October 17, officers responded to a report of possible child abuse at a room at the Western Motel, located at 7600 N.W. 39th Expressway in Bethany.

Beckett and the baby's mother were both in the room as police arrived. Officers asked the two if they could see the child. One officer said both sides of the baby's buttocks were deeply bruised.

Beckett admitted to officers that he spanked the baby for "throwing a fit." He said he spanked the baby once with his diaper on and once with it off.

Beckett reportedly told officers that he doesn't know his own strength sometimes.

The child's mother told police she noticed the bruises at about 4 p.m. that day when she was changing the baby's diaper, and Beckett had been taking care of the baby since the night before.

Officers then arrested Beckett and transported him to the Bethany Police Station.

The Department of Human Services has taken the baby into protective custody.