YAKIMA, Wash.-A White Swan man will spend nearly three months in prison for choking and assaulting his pregnant girlfriend.
Branden Scott Higgins, 34, was sentenced on Oct. 21 and must also serve three years of supervised release.
The assault reportedly happened on Sept. 10, 2023 when Higgins and his girlfriend got into an argument about finances.
“Everyone deserves to live in a safe home,” said Vanessa Waldref, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. “My heart goes out to this young mother who told investigators she feared for her life and the life of her unborn child while she was being choked to the point of unconsciousness.”
According to court documents, the argument turned physical and Higgins pushed, then choked his girlfriend who was 26 weeks pregnant at the time.
Higgins then picked up a knife and moved toward his girlfriend before throwing the knife away. The assault continued when Higgins threw his girlfriend on the bed and choked her until she began to lose consciousness, according to a press release on his sentencing from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Eastern Washington.
