BODYCAM: Man says he ‘wanted to go to jail’ before alleged assault of Norton police officer

Published: Jun. 7, 2023 at 5:16 PM EDT
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NORTON, Ohio (WOIO) - A Norton Patrolman was hit in the face on May 28 by a man who said he “wanted to go to jail.”

According to the investigative report provided by the Norton Police Department, Patrolman Jonathan Travis was sitting in his marked police car on Wooster Road West when Keith Partin, 50, approached the driver’s side window.

When Patrolman Travis asked Partin if he needed any help, the report says Partin hit the left side of the Patrolman’s face “without warning and unprovoked.”

Patrolman Travis immediately called for assistance and ordered Partin to step back.

Shortly following the alleged assault, officers arrived to see Partin standing outside the cruiser with Patrolman Travis still inside.

That is when Partin explained that he “wanted to go to jail, so he hit him.”

Partin was arrested with “all his medication on his person.”

Patrolman Travis had a large cut on the inside of his cheek, a cut to his lip and damage to his teeth as a result of the hit.

The strike also potentially resulted in a loss of memory when, according to the report, “Patrolman Travis went to the Norton Fire Station for treatment and was unsure why he was there. He had no recollection of the incident. He was transported by Norton Fire to Akron General as a trauma patient.”

Partin was charged with assault, a felony in the first degree, and was taken to Summit County Jail.

Body camera footage moments after the assault shows the interaction between Partin and other officers.