An 18-year-old man faces an additional felony charge after Dallas police linked an assault on a pregnant woman to the death of her unborn child.
The man was arrested May 21 on a charge of assault of a pregnant person, a third-degree felony. Police said he has since also been charged with injury to a child, a first-degree felony.
Under Texas law, an assault causing bodily injury may be elevated to a third-degree felony when the accused knows the person assaulted is pregnant. A third-degree felony is punishable by two to 10 years in prison, while a first-degree felony carries a sentence of five to 99 years or life.
Officers responded May 16 to a hospital to investigate an assault that occurred about 5 p.m. the previous day in the 200 block of Fran Way.
Investigators said the woman was taken to the hospital in a private vehicle after the assault. While she was receiving treatment, medical personnel determined that her unborn child had died.
Further investigation connected the child’s death to the physical assault, prompting authorities to file the additional charge, police said.
The accused and the woman knew each other, though police did not disclose the nature of their relationship.
He remained in the Dallas County jail. The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information may contact detective A. Joslin at 214-671-4095 or adam.joslin@dallaspolice.gov.