Zanesville man pleads guilty to domestic violence caught on camera

ZANESVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) – A Zanesville man pleaded guilty after he was caught on camera committing acts of domestic violence. 

Gunner D. Lent, 18, pleaded guilty to one count each of felony strangulation, felony abduction and misdemeanor domestic violence. 

On March 7, Lent and the victim drank alcohol and got into several arguments, during which Lent struck the victim, according to a release from the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office. The release said he then also grabbed her by her throat, restricting her breathing, and pinned her down.

On May 9, the two argued again. During the argument, Lent unplugged a security camera inside the house and struck the victim, according to the prosecutor. Afterward, Lent left the home and the victim alerted law enforcement. She provided them with the video footage of Lent striking her and pinning her down. 

“While this domestic violence incident was caught on video, too many times domestic violence goes unseen and reported,” Muskingum County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney John C. Denver said. “Reporting ensures that violent offenders like Lent face real consequences.”

Denver also said he believes Lent’s prison sentence of 14 months reflects his violence while considering his youth. 

NBC affiliate WHIZ reported he was temporarily at large in March before he was apprehended. The guilty plea did not mention an additional charge of tampering with evidence, which Lent was also facing at the time of his arrest.