Man accused of attacking pregnant girlfriend

Spokane County District Court Judge Richard White set a $1 million bail Thursday for a man accused of a vicious and prolonged attack on his pregnant girlfriend.

Erik Duane Mahoney, 29, remained in the county jail Thursday night on suspicion of first-degree assault, first-degree kidnapping and criminal harassment. He faces a number of unrelated charges as well, including drug possession and attempting to elude police.

In the assault case, court documents say Mahoney began accusing his girlfriend of nine months, who was 21 weeks pregnant with his child, of being unfaithful. He then allegedly initiated a series of beatings that left the woman with injuries a police officer described as shocking.

A police affidavit outlines this account of the alleged victim’s ordeal:

Mahoney and his girlfriend, Amanda M. Dahlen, were in a friend’s garage last Friday when he began accusing her and calling her a liar. He took off his belt, which had a seat belt-style buckle, and lashed her several times with the buckle end of the belt.

Dahlen ran from the garage, screaming for help, but no one came to her aid. Mahoney tackled her, knocked her to the ground, rolled her over and punched her in the face until he broke one of her front teeth.

Then Mahoney allegedly dragged Dahlen back into the garage and kicked her unconscious. Still in the garage, apparently after she regained consciousness, Mahoney chased Dahlen around a car, threatening to stab her to death if she didn’t stop, according to court documents.

He persuaded her to come to him by promising not to beat her anymore. Instead, he threw her onto a couch and pricked her leg with a knife.

“See, that’s what will happen to you and your baby,” Mahoney allegedly told Dahlen.

Then, Dahlen said, Mahoney pistol-whipped her left knee. It was the first time he had threatened her with a gun, she said; he usually used a knife.

Dahlen said the assault lasted about three hours. About 6 a.m. Mahoney told her he was “so sorry,” and took her to the apartment of a female friend of his at the corner of Francis and Regal.

The next afternoon, after they had slept, Dahlen thought Mahoney “seemed fine,” but he started accusing her again, punched her twice in the stomach and told her he wanted to beat her and her unborn child to death.

Dahlen said she tried to leave, but Mahoney tackled her in the apartment parking lot. She told him to stop because a small boy watching them seemed frightened, and Mahoney accused her of “making a scene.”

Then Mahoney allegedly forced Dahlen into his pickup and drove away with her. She said she jumped out of the moving vehicle when he again threatened to kill her and her baby.

A passer-by picked her up and drove away quickly, but Mahoney rammed the good Samaritan’s car before leaving the area.

Dahlen went to the home of an aunt, who called police.

Officer Stephanie Kennedy said she was shocked by the extent of Dahlen’s injuries, which required treatment at Holy Family Hospital.

In addition to a broken tooth, Kennedy said Dahlen had two black eyes, a swollen nose, a cut lip, scrapes on her neck and severe bruises all over her body.

Some of the bruises had belt buckle imprints at their center. One had what appeared to be a stab wound.

Police arrested Mahoney about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.