A Texas man has been arrested after he allegedly strangled his pregnant wife until she went limp — and did it in front of their child.
The Waco Police Department said that Jacob Daniel Vega has been charged with aggravated assault – family violence.
He was arrested after an incident that took place on Monday, April 13, at a home in Waco. A woman called 911 late in the morning and said, “I can’t take this anymore,” and said she “got into it with someone,” according to an arrest affidavit obtained by KWTX.
As officers reported to the home, Vega, 40, walked out to a patrol car and said he and his wife had just gotten into an altercation.
Vega said that he and his wife had been arguing because he was inside the bedroom with the door locked and his wife repeatedly banged on the door, per the affidavit. He told officers that he grew angry and opened the door. He then took a shoe rack from their bedroom and put it in their children’s bedroom.
At this, the woman allegedly started screaming, and Vega said he “lost it.”
As the incident escalated, Vega and his wife started putting their hands on one another and he ended up sitting on top of her. Police said he then began to strangle her. Vega allegedly told the officers to go check on his wife, and he was handcuffed and placed in the back of a patrol car.
While speaking to the wife, she told authorities that her legs were numb and her throat hurt. She claimed that Vega strangled her for about two to three minutes, per the affidavit.
Officers noted that the woman had broken blood vessels in both of her eyes, as well as redness on her neck. She also reiterated Vega’s claim that he had strangled her with both of his hands as he sat on top of her, according to police.
The woman was seven weeks pregnant at the time of the incident. Police eventually learned that the couple had been married for six years and had lived together for the past two years.
Additionally, the victim told officers that their child was in the bedroom at the time of the attack. She added that Vega only stopped strangling her when she went limp in his hands.
After she spoke to police, the woman was taken to Hillcrest Hospital for evaluation. Meanwhile, Vega was arrested and booked in the McLennan County Jail. It appears that he has since been released, as online records do not list him as an active inmate.
It is not currently clear if Vega has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest. The Waco Police Department did not immediately respond to Us Weekly‘s request for comment regarding the case.
