Justice? Texas Man Who Beat Pregnant Woman And Killed Her Baby Avoids Jail Time
Johnny Charles Ebbs V.
Oct. 20 2022, Published 1:22 p.m. ET
A Texas man who beat his girlfriend so badly that the lost her baby is not going to prison, Radar has learned.
Johnny Charles Ebbs V agreed to a plea deal that allowed for eight years of preferred adjudication on a third-degree continuous family violence assault charge. In Texas, that happens when a person pleads guilty or no contest while also not confessing guilt.
Via the deferred adjudication, a person is put on community supervision, or probation, for a period of time. If they complete the time, the offense is dismissed. However, if the person violates the probation, they are force to service the full sentence.
Police say Ebbs assaulted his pregnant girlfriend, LaShonda Lemons, in 2019 during a verbal fight. According to police, Ebbs punched Lemons in the stomach and yelled "F*** you and this baby! You aren't going anywhere!"
The baby died three days after Lemons went to the hospital, and a doctor said a "placenta abruption" was present. According to the affidavit, that happens when the placenta is detached from the womb.
Lemons painted a negative picture of Ebbs while speaking to the court on Oct. 17. “You were the first person to hold me at gunpoint. The first person to strangle me,” Lemons said.
Lemons' attorney, Kelsey McKay, said that Ebbs was supposed to forfeit his guns but did not. “We have firearm surrender laws. We have domestic violence laws. But if there’s not enforcement and implementation of those laws, they’re relatively useless,” McKay said.
Ebbs was required to swear in court that he doesn't have any guns and will not live in a place that has them.
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McKay said that the plea agreement will require Ebbs to wear a GPS monitor for six months. According to KXAN, abuse advocate Coni Huntsman Stogner said the outcome puts Lemons in danger. “Very concerned that the sentencing does not result in safety for the survivor and the community,” Stogner said.
