A Texas man has been arrested for allegedly beating his pregnant girlfriend so severely it reportedly resulted in the death of her unborn child, police said.
Austin police arrived at St. David’s Medical Center after receiving a call that a woman in their care was a victim of abuse, an affidavit obtained by KVUE said.
The woman, who was not identified, said she went to the hospital days after being beaten by her boyfriend because she was afraid that the baby was hurt. The woman said that she had not felt the baby move since the attack, which she alleges took place on March 24. She was about 32 weeks at the time.
Doctors there told her that her baby had died. CBS Austin reported that there had been a “placenta abruption,” which means the placenta had detached from the womb—something that can happen when a pregnant woman experiences blunt force trauma.
The Travis County Medical Examiner is set to conduct an autopsy to determine the baby’s cause of death, according to an affidavit.
The victim’s doctor told police the baby was in good health prior to the attack, after which the woman decided to go to a hospital because she “did not feel the baby move in her stomach for several days.”
She told police that she and her boyfriend, who she said is also the father of the baby, had been in a relationship for about 10 years, reported WUSA9.
The woman said Johnny Charles Ebbs, 24, punched her in the stomach multiple times and threatened her life after she tried escaping from a second-story window in their East Austin home. At one point, Ebbs grabbed her by the hair, the woman said, before slapping her several times with an open fist on the stomach, according to the affidavit.
The fight reportedly began when Ebbs accused her of cheating on him.
Ebbs was arrested on charges of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, assault impeding breath/circulation, and continuous violence against family. He is being held at the Travis County Jail on a $75,000.
A Similar Case
Also in Texas, a 24-year old man in San Antonio was arrested on Sept. 8 after he allegedly choked and kicked his pregnant girlfriend, reported the San Antonio Express-News.
According to KENS5, the woman told detectives that Charleston Grogan jumped on here while she was lying in bed with her other children and tried to choke her.
According to legal documents, Grogan pushed her off the bed and she fell on her stomach, he then hit and kicked her.
Police said the victim told officers Grogan attacked her because he believed she was cheating on him. Police added that bruising on the woman was consistent with her account of the attack.
She was six and a half months pregnant when the attack took place.
Grogan is facing an assault charge is currently being held in custody on a $10,000 bond.
