Highland County jury convicts Blanchester man of strangulation, domestic violence charges

A Blanchester man was sentenced to prison Thursday, April 11 after a jury seated in Highland County Common Pleas Court convicted him of strangulation and domestic violence charges.

As previously reported, Jason R. Creager, 40, was indicted in November on charges of strangulation, a fourth-degree felony; and domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor. He was charged with “causing or creating a substantial risk of physical harm” to a victim “by means of strangulation or suffocation,” and “knowingly causing or attempting to cause physical harm” to a victim, on or about Sept. 13, 2023.

After a trial that began at approximately 10:45 a.m. and concluded at 2:50 p.m., it took the jury approximately half an hour to deliberate and find Creager guilty of both charges.

Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Creager 15 months in prison on the felony strangulation charge, concurrent to six months in the county jail on the misdemeanor domestic violence charge. Creager had 15 days of jail time credit.

As established by Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins at trial, the alleged events occurred in Highland County at the victim’s home. The victim attempted to lock Creager out of the home, but he managed to get inside, where he “grabbed [the victim] by the throat and slammed” the victim against the refrigerator. 

During the altercation, it was alleged that Creager “threw [the victim] to the floor and repeatedly bashed [the victim’s] head into the floor” as he placed his hands around the victim’s neck. It was also alleged that he covered the victim’s nose and mouth with his hands to stop the victim from screaming for help, which in turn limited the victim’s ability to breathe.

“These acts caused obvious physical harm to [the victim],” Collins told the jury.

The victim (“V”) was the first witness called by the state and cried while recounting the events of Sept. 13. V said that Creager “put his hands right around my neck and started shoving me backwards,” into the refrigerator, as V attempted to hit him back to “get him off of me.” 

“He grabbed me by the hair and threw me on the floor,” V said.

V said that Creager “started beating my head in the floor,” and when V attempted to scream, “he covered my mouth and my nose with his hand.” When Creager got up, he began to try to close the curtains and doors of the house, and V “got up and ran out a back side door as fast as” possible to a neighbor’s house to seek help.

V testified experiencing pain in the face, neck and head, and Collins reviewed several exhibits — photos of V’s injuries — as evidence in the case. V testified that all of the injuries depicted were caused by Creager. The photos included images of the injuries when law enforcement arrived and photos from the following day, when bruises had developed.

Under cross examination, defense attorney Bill Armintrout asked questions about disagreements between Creager and V in the days prior to Sept. 13. V said she didn’t recall the answers to many of the questions.

Collins asked V, under redirect examination, about having trouble remembering. “It’s very traumatic,” V said. “It’s been so long.”

The next witness was Sergeant J.D. Adams of the Highland County Sheriff’s Office, who responded to the scene after V’s neighbor called to report the incident. He testified that V was “highly distraught” and “crying” with “visible injuries” when he arrived, and he called paramedics to the scene to evaluate V. 

After questioning both V and Creager, Adams said that Creager was arrested. He testified that Creager advised he “was attacked” and that he “did not put hands on” the victim.

The exhibits also included images of Creager, including a mark on his arm. Adams said it was “absolutely” common for both parties to have injuries, referring them as “defensive wounds.

“Naturally, there is a give and take,” Adams said.

The state rested shortly before noon, and after the jury was excused for lunch, the afternoon session began with Creager taking the stand in his own defense.

Creager gave his version of the events of Sept. 13, including that the victim was “mad at him,” but that he made her coffee, was doing work on her house and was in the process of cooking dinner when the victim arrived home. He alleged that the victim “started punching me,” and after being hit “about four times,” he stopped the victim and said he would call law enforcement.

Creager said that after the altercation, the victim “went into the bathroom,” came out and showed him neck, then left to go to the neighbor’s house.

Armintrout asked Creager about committing each of the allegations in the case — about pushing the victim into the fridge, beating the victim, cursing at the victim, etc. — as Creager repeated the answer “No, sir” to the questions.

Under cross examination, Collins asked what she called “a series of yes or no questions” as well. She asked Creager to confirm that V hit him and he said he’d call the police, and Creager agreed.

“What time did you get ahold of the cops?” Collins asked.

“I didn’t get a chance to,” Creager said.

In response to questions from Collins, Creager confirmed his testimony that V had left the home and gone to the neighbor’s. The prosecutor asked why he didn’t then call 911.

“I did,” Creager said.

“You have a record of that?” Collins asked.

Creager said he did on his phone and gave Collins his phone number.

Collins then referred to Creager’s testimony that the victim went into the bathroom and came out and showed him her injuries.

“Are you asking this jury to believe she bloodied her own head and did that to herself?” Collins asked.

“I’m not asking them nothing, I’m just stating the truth,” Creager said.

The defense rested around 1:20 p.m., and after a recess, the trial resumed shortly before 2 p.m. with Collins calling Highland County 911 Coordinator Scott Miller as a rebuttal witness.

Miller testified that following Creager’s testimony, he was “requested to search phone numbers and 911 records and calls for service” from Sept. 13. He said he searched both the address and two phone numbers and was unable to find any reports of calls coming in aside from the call from the neighbor’s home.

After about five minutes of testimony from Miller, evidence concluded at approximately 2:03 p.m.

“This case has moved quickly because it is not difficult,” Collins told the jury. “This defendant committed these crimes, and he left picture-perfect proof of the crimes he committed.”

Both during his opening statement and his closing argument, Armintrout characterized the trial as a case of “he said, she said.”

He reminded the jury of the conflicting accounts and also reviewed the photos and the extent of the injuries.

“Somehow you’re going to have to sift through all the evidence you’ve heard and figure out who to believe, if anybody,” Armintrout said.

Collins disagreed that it’s not “a he said, she said” case because there is “proof, evidence, that [the victim’s] story is true.” On the other hand, speaking of Creager, she said, “You saw him lie today.”

After reviewing the elements of each charge, Collins asked the jury to “come to the only conclusion that makes common sense in this case.

“If a picture’s worth a thousand words, these pictures are worth two words: guilty, guilty,” she said. “Guilty on each count.”

The jury received the case at 2:50 p.m., and by 3:23 p.m., the court had been notified that they’d reached a verdict.

Highland County Clerk of Courts Ike Hodson read both verdicts finding Creager guilty, after which Coss said he would proceed with sentencing.

Collins asked the judge to impose a term of incarceration.

“The evidence in this case spoke for itself but more importantly is the impact this has had on [V],” Collins said. “It’s going to take her a long time to get past this, but she has made the first right step in holding Mr. Creager accountable.”
 
Armintrout referred to Creager’s limited criminal record and asked Coss to impose the minimum sentence possible for his client.

Creager then elected to speak, and he again gave his version of events to the judge.

“I really did act in self defense,” Creager said. “I just cannot believe this, to be honest with you.”

In response, Coss told Creager, “You had a constitutional right to remain silent. It’s too bad you didn’t take it and use it because you didn’t do yourself any favors.”

Coss said that the jury’s quick verdict “tells you just how much BS your story was.” He added that he sees “no reason to disagree” with the jury.

“You’re telling us that you believe that [the victim] went into the bathroom and did that herself?” Coss asked. “I don’t know that that’s even physically possible to squeeze your own neck that hard to create that kind of bruising. If it is possible, I don’t believe for a second that’s what happened here. 

“You’re clearly a violent person. You clearly are a liar.”

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