ROSS COUNTY, Ohio — A woman is locked up behind bars in Ross County after deputies say she shot her boyfriend and set fire to his car and house to coverup the crime.
Jara Newman, 44, has been charged with felonious assault after an explosion at her house left her live-in boyfriend, Eric Vanover, on life support. Authorities suspect that Newman may have intentionally set the fire to cover up a shooting incident.
It all started Sunday night when deputies responded to a frantic 911 call reporting a vehicle explosion at Newman’s residence on Bull Creek Road. When they arrived, they found Vanover lying unresponsive in the yard, with firefighters extinguishing the vehicle blaze nearby.
The story took a chilling turn as it was revealed that Vanover, who had sustained a bullet wound, was placed on life support at a local hospital. The gunshot was not found until he was at the hospital because the wound had been initially attributed to the vehicle explosion but later determined to be a gunshot entrance wound, raising suspicions of foul play.
Newman’s account of the incident drew further scrutiny. She explained that she and Vanover had been involved in an argument, during which he retreated to his vehicle. Moments later, the vehicle exploded, prompting Newman to seek help from passersby, she said.
However, investigators began to unravel the perplexing case when one of the passersby disclosed that she had observed Newman gathering items, including potentially valuable jewelry from the residence.
During questioning, Newman confessed to investigators that she may have fired a weapon through a back window, further deepening suspicions that the vehicle explosion could have been orchestrated to conceal a violent shooting incident.
As a result, Newman has been arrested and charged with felonious assault. Additional charges are expected to be filed as the investigation unfolds. Newman’s actions, which have left Vanover fighting for his life, have sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community of Ross County.
Local authorities are working diligently to piece together the events of that fateful night and provide justice for the victim, Vanover, as well as the community. Newman’s arrest has raised questions about the nature of the altercation and what might have driven her to allegedly resort to such drastic measures to conceal the true circumstances surrounding the incident.
The case remains under investigation as law enforcement officials work to uncover the full extent of the events that transpired at the Bull Creek Road residence.