Probation for man in domestic assault case

A 40-yearold Lansdale man who stood accused of punching his pregnant fiancée in the face “in a fit of rage” during a dispute over sex in August was recently sentenced to probation after entering a guilty plea in the case, according to court records.

James Harlen Owens III, of the 300 block of Delaware Avenue, appeared in Montgomery County court and pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree misdemeanor simple assault, for which he was sentenced to nine months of probation and 12 hours of community service, and ordered to have no offensive contact with the victim in the case, court records show.

Owens was also assessed $1,441 in fines, costs and fees, records indicate.

A summary harassment charge was dropped as part of Owens’ plea deal.

Lansdale police had said that officers were dispatched to Owens’ residence just before 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 5 for a reported domestic assault, and made contact with a woman who had blood on her face and a laceration under her left eye.

The woman said that Owens — who had fled the scene before police arrived — had gotten on top of her in bed after she turned him down for sex and punched her in the face “while she lay helpless” during the dispute, an affidavit of probable cause indicates.

Police took photos of the woman’s injuries and she provided officers with a written statement, according to the affidavit.