Kentucky man sentenced to prison for shooting death of West Union man
A Bowling Green, Ky. man was sentenced this week to at least 23 years in prison in connection with the shooting death of a West Union man in January 2025, according to a press release from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.
Jason Strain, 45, pleaded guilty July 29 to an amended count of voluntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony, and two counts of improperly discharging a firearm into a habitation, both second-degree felonies.
The charges stemmed from an alleged incident Jan. 26, 2025 at approximately 5:39 a.m., when the Adams County 911 Communications Center received multiple reports of shots fired in the area of Fifth Street and Starks Avenue in the village of Manchester.
Deputies with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area and located an adult male lying in the roadway with multiple apparent gunshot wounds. Manchester Fire and EMS responded to the scene and attempted to render aid; however, the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office immediately launched a homicide investigation. Due to the nature of the incident, the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) was requested to assist with crime scene processing and investigative services.
Through the joint efforts of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, the Ohio Attorney General’s BCI and the Adams County Prosecutor’s Office, Strain was identified as the suspect. Later that same morning, Strain was located and taken into custody by the Bowling Green Police Department in Bowling Green, Ky. Investigators from BCI and deputies with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office traveled to Bowling Green, where additional interviews were conducted, ultimately resulting in criminal charges being filed in the Adams County Court of Common Pleas.
After accepting Strain’s guilty pleas, Adams County Common Pleas Court Judge Brett Spencer sentenced Strain to an aggregate prison term of 23 to 28 years in the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. Strain had 481 days of jail time credit. He was also ordered to pay $4,309.66 in restitution for reimbursement of funeral expenses for the victim.
Sheriff Kenny Dick and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Ohio Attorney General’s BCI for its outstanding investigative assistance throughout this case. The Adams County Sheriff also extends appreciation to the Adams County Prosecutor’s Office, the Bowling Green Police Department, Manchester Fire and EMS and all assisting agencies whose professionalism and cooperation helped bring this case to a successful conclusion.