SMETHPORT — A Bradford man was convicted at jury trial Thursday in McKean County Court for assaulting his then girlfriend last year. Ozzy Strait, 27, was convicted of strangulation and simple assault. The charges were filed by City of Bradford Police Officer Evan Schmidt after he and Sgt. Seth Shephard were dispatched for a report of a strangulation that had just occurred at an apartment building in Bradford. The victim had fled the apartment to a relative’s apartment a block away.

District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer said the officers noted redness to the victim’s chest and swelling to her jaw. At trial, the victim testified that she and Strait had been dating for a very short time and were homeless.

On Aug. 21, 2024, Strait was able to find a room to stay in for the night at a man’s apartment in the building where the assault would occur. The victim reported to police that, when she and Strait went to the apartment’s bedroom, he turned violent when she asked him to retrieve her drink and a garbage bag from another room. She testified that Strait pinned her to a wall in the bedroom and put his hand or arm across her throat and she could not breath. Her hearing was impacted by the assault.

Shaffer prosecuted the case on behalf of the commonwealth.

She said, “The crime of strangulation is relatively new in Pennsylvania and the statute was only enacted in 2016. It is a specific type of assault and the legislators gave it its own crime. Our local forensic nurses have long spoken out about the deadliness of strangulation and have stressed that a very slight amount of pressure is all it takes to interfere with breathing. The amount of pressure necessary to cause death is very little. It is because of that that first responders are trained to screen for it. The pressure often leaves no injury.”

After the jury returned its verdict, Judge James Arner entered a finding of guilt of an additional summary offense and increased the bail to $100,000 cash. Strait was remanded to the McKean County Jail where he has been since the assault on a probation violation.

Strait is scheduled for sentencing on this case and the probation violation on a prior case on May 12.

Shaffer said, “If you are the victim of domestic violence, services are available at the YWCA by calling the hotline at (888) 822-6325.”