Altoona man acquitted of strangulation, intimidation

Jury finds defendant not guilty after hearing testimonies

HOLLIDAYSBURG -- An Altoona man was acquitted Thursday of the most serious offenses filed against him in a domestic dispute and convicted of simple assault, a second-degree misdemeanor.

The verdicts came at the end of a two-day trial for 38-year-old James Paul Long, who was found not guilty of second-degree felony charges of strangulation and witness/victim intimidation and a first-degree misdemeanor offense of terroristic threats.

The decisions were made within a half hour of being dismissed for deliberations.

"It really wasn't hard for us," a female juror said outside the Blair County Courthouse. "The things (the woman) said on the witness stand, she just wasn't making sense."

A male juror agreed and said he found Long, who testified on his own behalf, to be more credible.

"He was straight-forward, and his testimony was more specific," the male juror said. "Some of the things she said, they just didn't add up at all."

Altoona police filed the charges based on an investigation into the couple's fight on Feb. 25, 2022, inside their residence on the 300 block of Crawford Avenue.

Both Long and the woman spoke of being on the second floor where the woman started using her cellphone to record their escalating argument. She can be heard on the cellphone recording -- played three times during the trial -- demanding Long return her house key. She said Long, in his attempt to take control of her cellphone, pushed her onto the bed and put his hand over her mouth and nose.

"I was terrified and couldn't breathe," she testified.

The couple's fight also extended to the first floor where she said Long punched her face and wrapped his arm around her neck.

When Long testified, he said he struck the woman once, but never strangled her nor did he restrain her above her shoulders.

Testimony also indicated that the couple learned from a relative that the woman's recording of their argument had been posted to Facebook. But because the cellphone was broken, the woman said she couldn't remove the posting. That prompted Long and the woman to go to a local store where store surveillance video -- also played during the trial -- showed them purchasing a phone.

After returning to the residence, Altoona police arrived and took pictures showing the woman's swollen cut lip, her red nose and thumb-size marks on both sides of her neck.

Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Thomas asked the jury to hold Long accountable for his criminal action during "an inappropriate way to end a relationship." Thomas also commended Altoona police officers for their work on the difficult case.

Defense attorney Ted Krol said he appreciated the jury's verdicts in a case where convictions would have led to lengthy jail time for his client.

"I think the jury saw the victim's lack of credibility," Krol said.

In his closing argument, Krol claimed the woman was angry with Long and attempted to get him in trouble by making the cellphone recording and exaggerating her injuries.

"Don't give her what she wants," Krol told the jurors.

Judge Wade A. Kagarise, who presided over the trial, scheduled Long's sentencing for June 12 on the simple assault conviction. The judge also ordered a presentence investigation to be completed in preparation for sentencing.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.