(5-26-25) Teresa Howell (54) of Celina was arrested last night on a 4th degree felony of strangulation cause or create substantial risk of physical harm.She is being held in the Mercer County Adult Detention Center with no bond awaiting a Mercer County Common Pleas Court hearing.

She is being held in the Mercer County Adult Detention Center with no bond awaiting a Mercer County Common Pleas Court hearing.

Ohio Revised Code § 2903.18 classifies strangulation as a felony. The law defines “Strangulation or Suffocation” as any act that impedes the normal breathing or circulation of the blood by applying pressure to the throat or neck or by covering the nose and mouth.

Under Ohio’s strangulation law, no one shall knowingly:

  • Cause serious physical harm by means of strangulation or suffocation.
  • Create a substantial risk of serious physical harm by means of strangulation or suffocation.
  • Cause or create a substantial risk of physical harm by means of strangulation or suffocation.

Violations of Ohio’s updated strangulation law will now be charged as a second-degree, fourth-degree, or fifth-degree felony, respectively.