Guilty plea from man who beat girlfriend, fled with 5-month-old son

VISTA - A man who beat his girlfriend near their Pauma Valley home and fled with their 5-month-old son, who was later found unharmed, pleaded guilty today to felony domestic violence.

Kenneth Wayne Welch, who has a 2001 conviction for intimidating a witness, will be sentenced to eight years in prison at a hearing Oct. 10.

Deputies investigating a June 18 domestic dispute in the 22000 block of state Route 76 found Welch's beaten girlfriend shortly after 1:30 a.m.

The victim told deputies that Welch, 42, attacked her during an argument as they sat with their son in a parked vehicle near their ho...