A 69-year-old Tiffin man was jailed on a felony strangulation charge Saturday after a woman told Seneca County sheriff’s deputies she had been choked and injured during an assault.
Ricky L. Paxton was arrested following the incident on North Township Road 70 and booked into the Seneca County Jail on a charge of strangulation involving a substantial risk of serious physical harm.
The charge is a third-degree felony under Ohio law.
Deputies were dispatched shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday after receiving a report that a woman had been assaulted by her stepbrother. Minutes later, dispatchers were told the woman said she had been strangled and had suffered injuries.
According to the sheriff’s dispatch log, the woman said the confrontation began when she attempted to stop the man from allegedly stealing from their father. Deputies arrived shortly after 7 p.m. and detained Paxton.
Investigators photographed the woman’s injuries and collected hair as evidence. A statement was also taken from another person at the scene.
The woman was later taken to Fremont for medical treatment, according to the sheriff’s office.
The dispatch log initially recorded that Paxton was being charged with domestic violence and strangulation. The Seneca County Jail’s inmate roster Sunday listed only the strangulation charge.
Under Ohio’s strangulation law, the level of offense listed for Paxton applies when a person is accused of knowingly creating a substantial risk of serious physical harm to another person through strangulation or suffocation. The offense is classified as a third-degree felony.
No court date or bond amount was listed on the jail roster as of Sunday afternoon.
This story may be updated as additional court records become available.
