Lincoln man gets decades in prison for beating and terrorizing pregnant woman

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A Lincoln man was sentenced to prison Tuesday for torturing a pregnant woman last fall.

District Court Judge Darla S. Ideus sentenced 29-year-old Ian Toegan to 41 to 50 years behind bars. He must serve 20 years before he is eligible for parole.

Toegan pleaded no contest in March to five felonies, including first-degree attempted murder of an unborn child, first-degree assault of a pregnant woman, and assault by strangulation or suffocation.

In October, he held a 27-year-old pregnant woman against her will and repeatedly beat her.

Court documents describe a more than 48-hour period of terror at a home near 20th and South streets.

Toegan choked her to the point of blacking out at least 20 times, police said, and hit her with a belt.

Police found numerous bruises on her chest and arms.

Toegan also pointed a gun to her head and told her he was going to kill her, according to court records.

And he withheld food during the ordeal. The woman told police that in the past three days, she had eaten only a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and “possibly” some Kit Kat bars.

Toegan also made her take a cold shower while he pointed a fan at her.

Police said Toegan tried to cause a miscarriage by making the woman jump off an ice chest.

After she was rescued, doctors performed an emergency cesarean section. The baby seemed to be OK, police said.