A Bradford County jury acquitted a 27-year-old Crawfordville man on charges that he beat a woman who was seven-and-a-half months pregnant.
On July 17, the six-member panel found Nicholas Dakota Spangler not guilty of aggravated battery on a pregnant female.
According to an arrest report, on November 11, 2023, motorists called 911, reporting that they had seen the defendant striking the victim on the roadside of County Road 231, also known as Dedan Road, near the highway’s intersection with Southwest County Road 18, between Graham and Brooker.
When a deputy found the defendant’s vehicle, the alleged victim told the officer that she had been driving home and had a panic attack because she missed her turn. She added that after she pulled over and exited the silver Chevrolet Tahoe, the defendant, who was a passenger, tried to get her back into the SUV.
The woman told the officer Spangler “was gentle at first” but added that she fell down because her feet were swollen.
“While on scene, five independent witnesses: two married couples and one single individual, met with me and began to tell me what they saw,” wrote Corporal Lekiesha Lewis in the report.
One couple said Spangler appeared to be out of control, cussing at and threatening the alleged victim while telling her to get into the car.
Another couple reported that they saw Spangler throw the victim into the vehicle and punch her.
The fifth witness said he saw the defendant forcefully put the alleged victim into the SUV and then strike her several times.
The pregnant woman told Lewis that her boyfriend had not become physical with her, and the witnesses could not possibly see what was happening on the roadside.
The defendant also denied striking the woman but admitted the two argued outside the vehicle.
