Judge finds probable cause in Selma suspect for attempted murder

Published 5:11 pm Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Dallas County District Court Judge Bob Armstrong found probable cause in Anthony Portis for attempted murder and aggravated child abuse charges on Wednesday.

The case is now bound over to a Dallas County Grand Jury, which Armstrong forwarded the charges.

Portis, 26, was arrested on Aug. 13 by the Selma Police Department (SPD) for seriously abusing his child, an 11-month old infant. He remains in the Dallas County Jail on a $1 million bond.

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The SPD’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID) responded to the Vaughan Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Room regarding the infant’s abuse.

Officers discovered that the child had been transported to the emergency room by Portis.  An x-ray examination of the child revealed that the child had sustained a broken arm, incurred spinal damage, and brain trauma.

Selma Police Interim Chief Robert W. Green said the infant was transported to the Children’s Hospital in Birmingham for further treatment and evaluation.  Witnesses told the investigators that the child’s father had mistreated the child for a substantial amount of time and caused her injuries.

“This was a very horrific crime against a little baby,” Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson said.