Inset: Lucas Hayden (Houston County Detention Center). Background: The municipal center where the jail is located in Houston County, Ga. (Google Maps).
A Georgia teenager is behind bars after a series of increasingly violent attacks on his pregnant girlfriend, according to Peach State police.
Lucas Hayden, 18, stands accused of one count each of aggravated assault, kidnapping of an adult, and criminal damage to property, according to Houston County Sheriff”s Office records.
The underlying incident occurred on April 11. The defendant was arrested, along with his girlfriend, Ja’Dyia Smith, 18, on April 20.
Around 12:15 p.m. on the day in question, law enforcement was called to the woman’s residence about a fight between the two, according to a Warner Robins Police Department arrest report obtained by Macon-based CBS affiliate WMAZ. Warner Robins is a medium-sized city located some 20 miles due south of Macon.
Responding officers learned Hayden and Smith exchanged words. The man stole the woman’s phone, and then she tried to run him over with her car, according to the charging document.
A witness identified as Smith’s sister allegedly told investigators the woman tried to run Hayden over five different times as he tried to walk away. Eventually, Hayden grabbed Smith from the car, took her keys away from her, and then went into the house, police said.
At this point, Smith was locked out of her own house, according to the report. Hayden later let the woman inside, police said.
But the calm would not last.
The couple soon got into another fight in the kitchen during which Hayden dragged Smith into the bedroom, according to the report. There, Hayden kicked the woman in the stomach while she was five months pregnant, police said.
“I need to kill the baby,” the man allegedly said during the attack.
The defendant also used a pair of Smith’s leggings — followed by one of his arms — to choke her, according to law enforcement.
Just over a week after the knock-down, drag-out fight, both Hayden and Smith were arrested on aggravated assault charges.
Ja’Dyia Smith (Houston County Detention Center).
Hayden is currently detained in the Houston County Detention Center without bond. Smith is no longer in custody as of this writing.
