Raymond Bautista, 36, of Allentown. (Credit: Hatfield Police)
After both parties agreed to an expedited waiver of his preliminary hearing scheduled for next week, Raymond Bautista – the Allentown man accused of beating the mother of his unborn child outside Hatfield Village Apartments – now moves on to formal arraignment in Montgomery County Court.
Bautista, 36, of West Cedar Street, remains behind bars on $500,000 cash bail. He is charged with aggravated assault of an unborn child and aggravated assault -- both felonies -- and misdemeanor counts of simple assault and reckless endangerment of another person, according to court records.
Bautista’s arrest was not without controversy – he was initially arrested and arraigned before being released on an unsecured bond by an on-call Magisterial District judge. This resulted in public fervor and an emergency motion for bail review filed by prosecutors in Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, overseen by Judge William R. Carpenter.
Authorities had requested a $1 million cash bail, due to what Hatfield Police Chief William Tierney described as “the viciousness of this attack against a completely unsuspecting person.” However, the district judge modified the bail to $75,000 unsecured.
“Believe me when I tell you that we are just as shocked as you are,” Tierney said in a Facebook post, expressing concern that the bail decision fell short of ensuring the victim’s peace of mind.
Tierney reported that Bautista was apprehended after Hatfield detectives conducted a swift and detailed investigation. He credited the success of the operation to the cooperation of residents and those who provided timely information and video footage. .
Police responded to the 2000 block of Maple Avenue around 4:30 a.m. Thursday for a 911 call about a woman assaulted while exiting their apartment, police said.
The suspect fled the scene prior to police arrival. He was wearing gloves, all black, and a ski mask, police said.
The attack was captured on security video at the apartment complex. The video shows the suspect hit the victim with a flying knee to the back, before he straddles her on the pavement and begins punching her repeatedly. The victim screams for help, but no one arrives.
Police said the victim was taken to Grand View Hospital by VMSC Emergency Medical Services for evaluation of injuries.
Bautista has no prior criminal history in Pennsylvania.
His preliminary hearings were continued and rescheduled twice this month prior to the agreement. Formal arraignment is set for July 2. While Bautista initially represented himself at his arraignment, he has retained the services of private attorney James Veith of the Veith Law Firm in Lower Salford.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
