GILLETTE, Wyo. — A man accused of attacking a pregnant woman and her teenage son on Express Drive will appear for a preliminary hearing in Circuit Court at the end of April, Campbell County Court records say.
Jackson Nichols, 31, is charged with felony aggravated assault and felony child abuse for allegedly punching a woman he knew to be pregnant multiple times in the stomach and injuring her 14-year-old son who intervened during an April 13 assault on Express Drive, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case.
Gillette police officers were dispatched to the area around 3:33 p.m. that day after the woman called to report Nichols for putting his hands on her and her teenage son. The woman was taken to the hospital by emergency medical services after she told officers she was pregnant and complained of stomach pain.
The investigation revealed Nichols had been upset for three days over the woman taking pregnancy tests without him present. On the day of the assault, Nichols was intoxicated and became more upset when he learned the woman had purchased a phone for her son — a purchase they had been discussing for some time, the affidavit states.
Nichols and the woman entered their master bedroom to discuss the phone, at which point he grabbed her by the shirt and began punching her stomach repeatedly. The woman’s teenage son heard the commotion and entered the bedroom to try to pull Nichols off, per the affidavit, which states Nichols grabbed the boy by his shirt collar and began dragging him on the carpet.
Court documents state the boy and his mother were able to get free of Nichols, which is when they grabbed another juvenile in the residence and locked themselves in another bedroom. Nichols ultimately kicked the door in and yelled at them before fleeing the residence when the woman said she was calling the police.
When officers spoke with Nichols the following morning, he admitted to drinking and being upset because he didn’t approve of the woman’s decision to buy her son a phone. He claimed the teenage boy got into his face during a discussion and that he pushed the boy into the woman, but denied physically making contact with her, according to the affidavit.
Nichols will appear in Circuit Court for a preliminary hearing on April 24, where a judge will determine if sufficient probable cause exists to send the case to District Court for further proceedings.
