Palm Coast Man Arrested for Assaulting Pregnant Woman

A Palm Coast man faces multiple felonies after he assaulted a pregnant woman at her home on May 18, holding her captive for five to six hours.

Damien Irven, 25, strangled the victim to the point she could not breathe and prevented her from leaving the residence, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office. An argument that began over text messages escalated into the prolonged attack. Irven threatened to kill the victim the next day if she reported the incident to law enforcement.

Deputies arrested Irven on May 19 at an apartment complex in Daytona Beach. The Flagler County Sheriff's Office Fugitive Apprehension Unit worked with the Daytona Beach Police Department's Violent Criminal Apprehension Team to locate him.

Irven faces charges including domestic battery by strangulation, aggravated battery on a pregnant person, tampering with a witness, felony battery, robbery by sudden snatching, and false imprisonment. He has a prior conviction for domestic battery in Flagler County. He is held in the Volusia County Jail pending extradition to Flagler County.

Sheriff Rick Staly said: "This suspect spent hours terrorizing a pregnant woman in her own home and then threatened her life if she called for help. Attacking a pregnant victim is about as low as it gets, and domestic violence has no place in Flagler County."

For help with domestic violence, call the Sheriff's Office non-emergency line at 386-313-4911 or the Family Life Center at 386-437-3505.