Unborn child may have died due to beating

A Celina man remains incarcerated following a domestic altercation that allegedly resulted in the death of his unborn child.

Jamison D. Godfrey, 32, 5781 Monroe Road, was taken into custody shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday following an altercation with his girlfriend at the home they shared.

A caller informed the Mercer County Sheriff's Office that the 24-year-old woman was enroute to Joint Township District Memorial Hospital in St. Marys for treatment of injuries.

The altercation apparently began earlier in the evening with Godfrey allegedly choking and punching the woman who claimed to be four months pregnant. She reportedly expressed concern for their baby but the assault continued with Godfrey punching her stomach, according to sheriff's office reports.

The mother-to-be was able to free herself at some point and flee the residence. Godfrey's aunt reportedly assisted by taking her to a residence in St. Marys and then to the hospital. Emergency room personnel reportedly were unable to locate a heartbeat and indicated a stillbirth was imminent, according to an affidavit from the sheriff's office.

No charges have been filed pending completion of an ongoing investigation with the case expected to go before a Mercer County grand jury later this month. Court records indicate Godfrey, who also has a 9209 Wabash Road address, has a criminal record that includes two convictions for domestic violence.

The latest incident occurred four days after he appeared in Mercer County Common Pleas Court and pleaded no contest to having weapons under disability for an incident on Nov. 16 at the Wabash Road address. In that incident, Godfrey allegedly attacked two visitors with a mace, a spiked ball attached to an aluminum rod.

Deputies responded to a 911 call from the location and enroute heard radio traffic regarding the possibility he was armed with a gun and holding his girlfriend hostage. They quickly discovered he had no weapon and allegedly entered the home at his invitation. One of the officers suspected the presence of a gun after finding shell casings - some spent and some live - on the kitchen floor.

Godfrey reportedly directed authorities to a vintage World War II firearm behind the bedroom door. The gun, which originally belonged to a grandfather, is now owned by Godfrey's mother. He is under court order not to possess any kind of firearm due to a prior conviction involving violence.

James Tesno, the defendant's court-appointed attorney, subsequently filed a motion to suppress claiming the British Enfield Centerfire 330-caliber rifle was seized during an illegal search and the defendant had not invited authorities into his home.

Judge Jeffrey Ingraham ruled in favor of the state clearing the way for a negotiated agreement, in which the state dismissed two additional counts of felonious assault for Godrey pleading no contest to having weapons under disability. Sentencing in that case is set for May 21 with Godfrey facing up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

He had been free on his own recognizance pending sentencing, when the latest incident occurred. His bond has been revoked in the meantime with Godfrey now being held on a $75,000 bond.