DAUPHIN COUNTY — A 28-year-old man was convicted Friday on strangulation and simple assault charges.
The charges against Jonathan Jackson stemmed from an incident at a N. 2nd Street home in Harrisburg on Christmas Eve 2017.
During the altercation, Jackson threw the victim against a wall and tossed a child’s rocking chair at her, according to the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office. Jackson then strangled the victim on a bed. The DA’s Office said that the assault was severe enough that it caused the victim to vomit.
Jackson fled the scene when police were called and was not apprehended until April.
The Harrisburg resident initially represented himself during the bench trial, but turned to counsel when it was time to cross examine the victim, the DA’s Office said. Jackson believed the victim would recant her statement, but the victim said that she could not lie about what had occurred. And while under oath, the victim “provided (an) accurate account of the assault inflicted on her by Jackson, including the fact that his restraint of her on the bed included squeezing of her neck, restricting her breathing,” the DA’s Office stated.
Deputy District Attorney Katie Adam offered this statement in regards to the guilty verdicts:
“This case demonstrated the cycle of domestic violence. The tension in the relationship built up to the point of a physical assault, but after that came a period where the defendant was able to rebuild a bond with the victim by minimizing the incident, calling on their love for each other, and apologizing. It is at that point in the cycle when victims of domestic violence recant and stop cooperating with the prosecution, as occurred with the victim in this case. However, the victim here showed extreme fortitude in getting herself out of that cycle by taking the stand and being honest about what happened to her. Hopefully, it will mark a permanent end of the violence perpetrated against her by Mr. Jackson.”
Jackson’s sentencing is scheduled for January 9, 2019.
