Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, March 8, 2025
Rapist Convicted at Trial Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison
Recently, a jury in the Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas found Jacob M. Newton guilty of aggravated burglary, kidnapping with a sexual motivation specification, and attempted rape following a trial. Newton’s crimes occurred on October 26, 2024.
According to court records and testimony, Newton broke into a residence on Fairway Lane in the early morning hours of October 26, 2024. He restrained a female occupant with zip ties placed around her wrists and ankles. The victim woke up to find Newton in her bedroom, where he held her down on the bed to sexually assault her. The victim’s sister interrupted the assault, causing Newton to flee the scene on foot. The crime was reported to police immediately.
Zanesville Police Detective Bryan Ruff investigated the case by collecting the victim’s statement, zip ties recovered from the scene and a sexual assault examination report that documented strangulation and an injury to the victim’s lower back, supporting her account of the assault.
Judge Gerald Anderson, who oversaw the trial, sentenced Newton to 15 years in prison. Newton will be a Tier III sexual registrant, being required to register every 90 days for life following his release from prison. The Judge noted that, in this case, Ohio law requires the crimes of attempted rape and kidnapping with a sexual motivation specification merge for sentencing, meaning that he was sentenced to 15 years in prison as to two of the three crimes for which he was convicted.
“The facts of this case involve a nightmare scenario of a home break-in and a narrowly avoided vicious sexual assault,” according to Prosecutor Ron Welch. “We will never tolerate this type of conduct in this community, and no prison sentence would be enough to offset the harm this man inflicted upon his victim.”
The Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office thanks the Zanesville Police Department, Genesis Hospital and all others who have supported the victim throughout this process.
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