Inset: Justin Daugherty (Allegheny County Sheriff's Office). Background: An image of a bridge in McKees Rocks, Pa. (Borough of McKees Rocks).
A Pennsylvania man is behind bars after brutalizing and kidnapping his pregnant ex-girlfriend, foiling a rescue attempt with gunfire, and then kidnapping her 1-year-old child, according to Keystone State police.
Justin Daugherty, 24, stands accused of myriad crimes including one count each of aggravated assault of an unborn child, kidnapping, kidnapping a minor, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, carrying a loaded weapon, endangering the welfare of children, intimidation of a witness or victim, carrying a firearm without a license, possessing instruments of crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm; two counts each of terroristic threats, simple assault, aggravated assault in the first degree, and aggravated assault in the second degree; as well as four counts each of recklessly endangering another person, according to Allegheny County court records obtained by Law&Crime.
The underlying incidents date back to late August — when Allegheny County Police officers were called to an apartment in McKees Rocks, a tiny urban enclave located a few miles northwest of Pittsburgh.
The defendant has been on the run since then, authorities say. Daugherty was finally arrested on Friday, court records show.
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On Aug. 27, a woman reported being beaten and physically restrained by her ex-boyfriend, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Pittsburgh-based ABC affiliate WTAE.
Three days before that, Daugherty showed up at her residence after being released from jail for a previous bout of domestic violence against her, according to law enforcement. The charging document in the latest case says Daugherty has a "lengthy history of doing so."
During the latest incident, the defendant was allegedly upset the woman had left him and was dating another man, according to a press release issued by the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office.
"You're not going outside, you're not going to work, you're not going nowhere," Daugherty allegedly told the woman.
Eventually, the defendant discovered the victim was pregnant with her new boyfriend's child, according to the complaint. Then, he began to repeatedly strike the woman in her abdomen, authorities say. Such alleged beatings continued for several days while she was confined.
"Daugherty punched her in the stomach with a closed fist multiple times that day and two days following," the sheriff's office said.
The woman, for her part, contacted her current boyfriend the day before law enforcement arrived. Then, the new boyfriend, along with a friend of his, mounted a failed rescue attempt.
"During that altercation, Daugherty is accused of firing a handgun injuring one of the males," according to the sheriff's office. "Daugherty then grabbed the female victim and a 1-year-old female and forced them into his car. In the course of driving around, Daugherty threatened the female victim with more physical violence if she told police what took place, after which he exited the vehicle and told the victim to return to her apartment."
A bit earlier, during the forced car ride, however, the victim managed to surreptitiously contact 911 dispatch and alert authorities to the situation and allow them to track the location of the vehicle.
Months passed with the defendant on the lam.
This week, detectives determined Daugherty was staying with the mother of his child at a residence in nearby Stowe Township and secured a search warrant, according to the sheriff's office.
"When detectives arrived early this morning and announced themselves, they began to hear movement inside of the residence after which Daugherty attempted to flee out a first-floor window in the back of the house," the sheriff's office said. "Detectives were preparing to force their way into the residence when the door was opened by the female. Detectives then observed Daugherty run up the stairs and began issuing commands. After less than a minute, Daugherty appeared at the top of the stairs, was taken into custody without further incident and transported to the Allegheny County Jail."
The defendant is detained in the Allegheny County Jail without bond. He is slated to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 18.
