Footage Of Domestic Assault In Shawnee Lands Suspect In Jail

Shawnee Police arrested a man accused of choking and assaulting a woman, an attack that was captured on camera.

It happened at about 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 5 at Celebration of Life Park, across the street from Shawnee Public Library. The suspect, 49-year-old Jason Weins, told police that the woman he was with became irate and began screaming at him after he finished talking with another woman, according to the incident report from the Shawnee Police Department. 

Weins claimed the woman was bipolar and had not been taking her medication, so he grabbed her and tried to hold her to calm her down, the report said. Weins told police he did not hit or choke the woman.

But the investigating officer later saw footage from a surveillance camera at the library across the street, which contradicted Weins' statement, according to the report. The video showed the suspect aggressively grabbing the woman's neck and pushing her back, before putting her in what appeared to be a headlock.

Police later arrested Weins on a complaint of domestic assault and battery by strangulation. The investigating officer said in the report that the victim could not be located.

"If a strangulation occurred seven seconds or more, brain damage starts," said Renee Clemmons, executive director of Project: SAFE, which provides services for domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking victims. "In addition, anyone who's experienced strangulation in a domestic violence relationship is 750 percent more likely to die in that relationship."

Clemmons said last year alone, Project: Safe helped nearly 1,600 clients in Pottawatomie and Lincoln counties.

"Oklahoma is the second in the nation per capita for number of domestic-violence-related deaths," said Clemmons. "We can provide safety, we can provide shelter, we can provide education, and we can provide hope and healing."

Victims can start that process by calling Project: SAFE's 24-hour crisis hotline at 800-821-9953.

"We want victims to understand that you don't always have the option of leaving a bad relationship right away. You might need to plan. You might need to think about it. You may need to stay. But if you do, there are ways to stay safe in that relationship. So safety planning is the first thing that we do," Clemmons said.

If victims need a safe haven, Project: SAFE has a 16-bed shelter for them and their children. 

Clemmons said Project: SAFE will work with the District Attorney's Office to try to ensure that the suspect in this case is held accountable. She also urged the victim to reach out to Project: SAFE as well.

For more information, visit ProjectSafeOK.com.

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