Alabama couple charged with rape in bid to impregnate girl

(Reuters) - An Alabama couple has been charged with raping a 17-year-old relative multiple times in an unsuccessful attempt to impregnate her so they could keep the baby, prosecutors said Monday. Jeremy and Amanda Swann, both 29-year-old residents of Jones, about 40 miles northwest of Montgomery, were arrested on Thursday and have been charged with first-degree rape, Selma-based Assistant District Attorney Elliott Lipinsky said. "It's extremely disturbing," said Lipinsky, who is prosecuting the case. "We're not going to stop until we can ensure that the victim gets some sort of justice." The couple was arraigned on Monday and ordered held on $500,000 bond each, said Lipinsky. The case came to light when the couple filed a complaint with the Alabama Department of Human Resources stating that they wanted custody of the teenager on the grounds that Amanda Swann's mother was sexually assaulting her, Lipinsky said. During a subsequent investigation, the girl told investigators that the couple had propositioned her for sex and that Jeremy Swann had raped her six times over the period of a month, Lipinsky said. The Swanns wanted the teenager to get pregnant so they could have the baby, Lipinsky said. Jeremy Swann's mother, Dianna Swann, has been charged with one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in connection with the case, Lipinsky said. Attorney J.G. Thompson said he'd been appointed to defend Amanda Swann on Monday and had no comment on the case. Attempts to reach Jeremy Swann's attorney were unsuccessful. (Reporting by Jonathan Kaminsky in New Orleans; Editing by Barbara Goldberg, Mohammad Zargham and Eric Walsh)