JEFFERSON COUNTY — The attorney for a 39-year-old man charged in Jefferson County court with attempted murder is seeking to have his client’s mental condition at the time of the alleged crime examined.

Victor Serrano is accused of kidnapping and nearly beating a pregnant woman to death in December.

Defense attorney Joe Cervantez said Serrano has mental health issues that may have played a role in his client’s behavior in December.

Prosecutors say he attacked a pregnant woman, and then led police on a high-speed chase that ended in Indiana. Serrano has already pleaded guilty to charges in Indiana from that chase. He’s serving a one-year sentence while still being held in the Jefferson County Jail with bail set at $500,000.

Serrano faces three charges in Jefferson County, including two counts attempted murder: one for the woman and the other for her unborn child, as well as a felony kidnapping charge.

Cervantez said he’s also working on getting Serrano’s medical records for the case. He has a deadline later this month to file a motion seeking a mental health expert to conduct an exam on Serrano.

Serrano is due back in court for his next hearing May 15.