Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Dresden man gets life for raping children
A 41-year-old Dresden man convicted by jurors on 31 counts related to the ongoing sexual abuse of three children was sentenced to prison Monday.
Jason Newlon was ordered to life in prison by Judge Kelly Cottrill.
In a case prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Gerald Anderson, Newlon was found guilty on 18 counts of rape, 10 counts of gross sexual imposition and three counts of endangering children.
The offenses came to the attention of law enforcement last year when one of the victims reported to the Zanesville Police Department that Newlon raped and molested her over the span of six years, starting when she was just 12 years old.
The victim explained to detectives that Newlon’s abuse escalated over time from inappropriate touching to oral and vaginal rape.
Two other girls reported similar experiences with Newlon, starting at a young age.
The victims explained to investigators how Newlon molested and raped them for years. Newlon threatened physical and emotional consequences should they report his behavior.
When the victims eventually disclosed to law enforcement, they explained that they first told members of the defendant’s family of the abuse and were encouraged to keep it private and not involve the police.
“Unfortunately, we see far too many cases of young children being abused and then family members trying to protect the abuser instead of the children. I am happy these victims had the courage to come forward, and hope that knowing he won't be able to hurt any child ever again will bring them some peace,” Assistant Prosecutor Anderson said.
At sentencing, one of the victims wrote in a letter to the Court that she became suicidal because of the abuse she suffered and prayed to God to take her pain away.
“Yet now, I refuse to believe in religion, because I will no longer pray to the same god a rapist does,” the victim wrote. “I hope he spends the rest of his life in prison, and that afterwards, his god gives him the punishment he deserves.”
A younger victim wrote in her letter to the court that she wants Newlon to “suffer and feel all the pain he put me and [the other victims] through. I want him gone for, forever.”
Newlon will be 102 years-old in 61 years, when he is first eligible for parole.
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