Johnathan Robert Spacil, 39, has been sentenced to 19.5 years in prison for systemic abuse that included strangling a woman, biting her face, and attempting to coerce her into not working with prosecutors, according to the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office.
The court suspended an additional 25 years, and upon release, Spacil will serve five years of supervised probation with conditions that include no contact with the victim.
Deputies with the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office first responded on Feb. 5, when a woman called 911 from the bathroom at Sam’s Club saying Spacil had “choked” her earlier that day, according to investigators.
The victim said she convinced Spacil to take her shopping in hopes of calling police from a public place.
Deputies later observed a bite mark on her face, red skin, and finger marks on both sides of her neck, officials said.
Spacil was arrested at the scene and held without bond. Prosecutors said Spacil repeatedly tried to manipulate the victim into avoiding prosecution while in custody.
Detectives later forensically examined his cell phone and discovered multiple images of child pornography involving victims under nine years old.
According to the state's attorney's office, during the course of the subsequent months the victim disclosed to police multiple other instances of abuse.
Spacil was on probation for assaulting the woman when this incident occurred.
At the time, she had chosen to stay in the relationship and not participate in the prosecution as a victim.
Following the February incident, the woman was able to participate and address the court at sentencing, detailing her journey from victim to survivor, prosecutors said.
The Frederick native pleaded guilty last month to:
- First-degree assault;
- Witness intimidation;
- Possession of child pornography;
- Violation of probation.
In addition to his prison term, a judge also ordered that Spacil register as a Tier I sex offender for the rest of his life. He also must adhere to COMET Supervision.
State’s Attorney Charlie Smith praised the woman for coming forward after suffering from repeated abuse.
“Prosecutors doing this work understand that it often takes a domestic violence victim upwards of seven times to leave an abusive relationship," he said. "Domestic violence is cyclical and escalates over time without intervention.
"When victims feel safe and healed enough to participate in prosecutions, we can see true accountability for an offender. That is exactly what happened here.”
Click here to follow Daily Voice and receive free news updates.
