The Ross County Grand Jury returned all 14 of their cases on Friday, June 14th, 2024, with three open for release to the public. From testimony in the grand jury in one of the cases, according to the Ross County Prosecutor’s Office:
On April 6th, a Ross County Sheriff’s Sergeant was dispatched to the Chillicothe VA Medical Center to take the report of an assault earlier that day. She had visible injuries to her neck, head, and face.
At the VA, the victim explained that she had been in Columbus with her son the previous day, and returned home in Austin about midnight to find her long-time live-in boyfriend, 52-year-old Shon Matthew Earles, intoxicated.
He accused her of having an affair with aliens from another planet, and working with authorities to spy on him. He also said she was into witchcraft and had put a spell on him.
She went to a storage room upstairs to pack some clothing and leave, but Earles came upstairs into a room across the hall. He started shooting through the wall towards her with two firearms. She was not hit, but bullets were impacting only a few feet away from her.
Earles then grabbed her, punched her, and struck her in the face and head. He threw her against the floor and walls several times. She attempted to leave but he blocked her, threatened to kill her, and hid her cell phone.
She said Earles claims to be a Desert Storm Army veteran suffering from PTSD, which is why she made the report at the Chillicothe VA.
For an indictment on second-degree felonious assault, he could get up to 8 years and $15,000 in fines. For indictments on first-degree misdemeanor:
Discharge of a firearm on or near prohibited premises
- Domestic Violence
- Aggravated Menacing
…He could get up to six months and $1,000 in fines.
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Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture for the Scioto Post and iHeart Media Southern Ohio. For stories or questions, contact Kevin Coleman or the iHeart Southern Ohio Newsroom.