Aaron James Smith, 28, of Amarillo, appeared in court on Friday to plead guilty to four felony charges related to his arrest on April 23. The charges include third-degree felonies for assault of a pregnant person and abandoning or endangering a child, along with state jail felonies for assault of a family member with a previous conviction and evading arrest or detention with a previous conviction.
A Randall County grand jury indicted Smith on all four charges in June. At the time of his arrest, Smith was already on probation for burglary and assault of a family member with a prior conviction from a February 2024 arrest in Potter County. District Judge Steven Denny had sentenced him to 10 years probation in October 2024.
However, Smith’s probation was revoked on September 11, and Judge Denny sentenced him to 10 years in prison. Subsequently, Smith appeared before District Judge Estevez and received the following sentences: 10 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) for assault of a pregnant person, 10 years for abandoning or endangering a child, and 18 months each in state jail for assault of a family member with a previous conviction and evading arrest.
Some of the prison terms will run concurrently, but the combined sentences reflect the severity of the offenses.
