9-month pregnant woman fought back when homeless man tried to rape her, Ohio cops say

A 9-month pregnant woman was walking her dog on Friday morning when she noticed a man who seemed to be following her.

The woman, whom McClatchy is not identifying, went on the other side of the street to get away from the man — and then entered a community pool after he continued to trail her every move, police told Fox19. But the assailant, identified as 27-year-old Anthony Smith, allegedly continued to approach the expectant mother even as she shouted "stay away from us!"

Police told Fox19 that the woman eventually tried to run away — but Smith, who is homeless, tackled her and tried to undress her. He's accused of whispering "it's okay, let me do this" as he tried to rip away at her clothing.

But the woman wasn't going to go down without a fight. She screamed and hit Smith, who responded by punching her as well, police say. Bystanders saw what was happening and subdued Smith while another person called 911, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

He was arrested and charged with attempted rape and felonious assault, as reported by WKRC. He has a $2 million bond.

A prosecutor testified in court on Saturday that the woman "now has complications to the pregnancy" because of Smith's attack. The victim has a "possible fractured nose and jaw," according to WKRC. Defense lawyers argued that Smith has a mental health condition.

Since 2016, Smith has been accused of burglary, fighting a police officer and assaulting a man — but all charges in those cases have been dropped because he was found incompetent to stand trial, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. He has a July court date.

The sister of the pregnant woman told Fox19 that both she and her baby are doing well. She is now out of the hospital.