An Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper based in Piqua and living north of Urbana, Jerad L. White, has been charged with two counts of domestic violence and two counts of endangering children.
On Dec. 25, he allegedly hit his 18-month-old son hard enough to leave a hand print. White’s live-in girlfriend and mother of the child, Christa Browning, stated that this has occurred approximately five times within the past six months, according to a Champaign County Sheriff’s Office report.
White, 37, made an initial appearance in Champaign County Municipal Court on Thursday, and the case was continued to Jan. 7, 2019. White is ordered to have no contact with the victim, identified in court documents only as “B.L.W.”
“Mr. White’s conduct does not reflect the values of this agency,” said Lt. Robert G. Sellers, public affairs commander of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. “He has been placed on administrative duties pending the completion of an internal investigation.” He said White started his Highway Patrol career in 2003 at the Marysville post before joining the Piqua post.
According to a court statement by Det. Ryan Black of the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, Browning entered the sheriff’s Miami Street office at approximately 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday in reference to an ongoing physical domestic issue involving her live-in boyfriend. She provided photographs of what appeared to be a large hand print on the right buttocks and back/side of the right thigh area of the child.
Browning stated that on Tuesday the boy grabbed a screwdriver from the kitchen table that White had been using and White yelled at and hit the boy.
White reportedly then took Browning’s cellular phone from her in an attempt to delete photos of his actions. She subsequently used the house phone to call 911 and stated that the defendant, his mother, his three other juvenile daughters and the victim were present at this time.
Browning also stated that upon law enforcement’s arrival, she said everything was OK and that she and the defendant were only involved in a verbal dispute. She stated that White was standing in the doorway while she was speaking with law enforcement and that he had advised her not to tell the truth because he could lose his job.
Browning also said that on Dec. 6, White became angry when the boy touched an ornament on the Christmas tree. He reportedly hit the boy, leaving a red mark through a pair of pajamas and a diaper. She provided screen shots of a text message conversation with White in which he denied responsibility for the marks.
In a text message conversation between Browning and White’s mother, his mother states, “I’m telling you. Those steroids are destroying him. He has never had so much anger…” She said her son has been using steroids over the last year, causing his anger to worsen. She stated within the last three to four months it has gotten much worse.
