A 23-year-old Linton man has been accused of rape, criminal confinement, strangulation and domestic battery. Following an investigation by Detective Paul Clark of the Linton Police Department, Travis Lee Jones was arrested on Sunday, booked in by LPD Officer Nick Yingling around 7:12 p.m.

Jones was living in Linton at the time of the alleged incident. Jail records show him with a home address in Linton but court records show him with a home address in Lyons.

LPD Officer Yingling first took a report from the victim on Saturday evening, May 19, and obtained written statements about the incident that occurred early Friday, May 18.

Det. Clark then continued to investigate the next day, assisted by Officer Yingling, and conducted audio- and video-recorded interviews at the police department with both the alleged victim and Jones.

The officers learned Jones and the victim had been in an argument, reportedly over sexual relationship concerns and the victim was refusing to engage in a sexual encounter at that time. This led into the incident that the victim said lasted one to two hours, Jones said lasted about one and one-half hours.

Det. Clark wrote a lengthy probable cause document detailing the interviews.

According to Clark, the victim’s allegations include that he smacked her in the back of the head, grabbed her by the arms, held her down at various times pinning her to a bed or the floor, then started pinning her down by grabbing her throat, and repeatedly choked her to the point she was unable to breathe. When she struggled and tried to leave, he blocked the doorway, confining her and forcing her back. She said he was increasing the pressure each time he grabbed her throat and she felt like she was losing consciousness. Clark said she told him she thought he was going to kill her and she finally submitted to him in order to stop getting hurt and choked.

In the interview with Jones, Clark reported that the story Jones told was similar and that he admitted striking the victim, pinning her down and blocking the door, and admitted he may have choked her. According to Clark, Jones also said he knew the victim did not want to have sexual intercourse and he knew she only agreed to it because she was scared of him.

As of late Tuesday, Jones remained in the Greene County Jail where he’s being held on a bond of $30,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. When he appears for an initial hearing in Greene Superior Court, he will be charged with:

• Rape when compelled by force or imminent threat of force, a Level 3 felony,
• Criminal confinement with bodily injury, a Level 5 felony,
• Strangulation, a Level 6 felony, and
• Domestic battery, a Class A misdemeanor.