Minn. DA: Man Assaulted Pregnant Girlfriend

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- A man has turned himself in to St. Paul police on allegations that he assaulted his pregnant girlfriend, who lost the baby later that day.

Twenty-one-year-old John Matthew Jose Pickard was booked into the Ramsey County Jail on Friday.

He was wanted on charges of fifth-degree domestic assault and disorderly conduct. Prosecutors say he punched his 19-year-old girlfriend during an argument in April.

The St. Paul woman was three months' pregnant at the time. The criminal complaint says the fetus was found dead later in the day, although a medical investigation couldn't conclude the death was caused by the assault.

Defense attorney Daniel Adkins says he and Pickard are refraining from comment.

Pickard's bail has been set at $10,000.

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