Providence Area [Pawtucket] -- Felony Assault
Richard Andrade's girlfriend was pregnant and he didn't want her to have the baby. So, on July 5, 2002, Andrade repeatedly punched her in the stomach after she refused to have an abortion, according to police.
Detective Lt. John Clarkson said "We were told that Mr. Andrade punched his girlfriend several times in the stomach. The woman then went to Women and Infants Hospital and lost the child. We were able to determine that Mr. Andrade was responsible for the assault. We got warrants for his arrest."
When Andrade realized that police were after him, he ran. He was found near Worcester, Massachusetts, when police stopped him and checked on their computer, a check that turned up the arrest warrant and demands from the court for his appearance there.
He was arraigned in Worcester as a fugitive from justice.
Andrade faces the charge of felony assault, based on a review of the evidence by prosecutor Stacey Veroni.
By Rhode Island law, a person can be charged with murder if they deliberately act in a way that results on the death of a fetus if the pregnancy is so advanced that the child would have survived on its own if it was born at that moment.
Case law has set that at about 23 weeks of pregnancy.
Kevin O'Connor. "Police Say Man Beat Pregnant Girlfriend." The Pawtucket Times, March 3, 2003.
Providence -- Assault With a Dangerous Weapon (ADW) and Death Threat
Pro-lifers were picketing outside the Women's Medical Center abortion mill when a pro-abortionist attacked Raymond Dempsey, tearing his picket sign out of his hands, hitting him with it, and threatening to kill him. The pro-abort was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and was found guilty of the charge.
"America is Protesting Abortion ... Despite Death Threats, Assaults." ALL About Issues, November 1983, page 5; Global Report. "Victory in Court in Rhode Island." ALL About Issues, July 1984, page 28.
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