ROCK SPRINGS — An Evansville man is being held on a $200,000 cash or surety bond at the Sweetwater County Detention Center following an incident where he allegedly punched his pregnant girlfriend.
Andrew James Smock, 29, is charged with one count of felony Aggravated Assault and Battery, along with four misdemeanor counts of Reckless Endangering. The felony carries a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, while each count of Reckless Endangering carries a maximum jail sentence of one year and a potential fine of up to $750.
He made his initial appearance before Circuit Court Judge John Prokos Monday afternoon. The Sweetwater County Attorney’s Office requested the $200,000 cash or surety bond due to the violent nature of the alleged crime, as well as a previous felony conviction and more recent misdemeanor offenses.
According to court documents, on Sept. 26, Rock Springs Police Department officers responded to an emergency call from First Choice Ford at 7:55 p.m. on Elk Street. When officers arrived, they spoke with Smock’s girlfriend, who said she was four months pregnant.
She told the officers she picked Smock and her brother up from a bar, serving as the designated driver for the night. After picking them up she and Smock began to argue as she was driving south on Elk Street, claiming Smock started hitting the dashboard and window repeatedly, causing a severe crack in the vehicle’s windshield. She then alleged he hit her in the face with his right hand, saying the pain she felt was a five out of 10. Her brother, along with her two children, were in the vehicle when it happened.
She said the hit knocked her glasses off of her face, stunning her and causing her vision to become blurry. After being hit, her vehicle swerved. After that, her brother reached from the back seat and hit Smock in her defense. She slowed the vehicle to about 5 mph and Smock left the moving vehicle. She then drove to the First Choice Ford and they called the RSPD.
The responding officer saw a small, fresh cut on the bottom of her lip. Smock was later found walking along the frontage road near the Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport and was contacted by police officers. He told officers that he was “not denying nor accepting” ever striking his girlfriend and said her brother attacked him. He also admitted to knowing she was four months pregnant with their third child.
