Accomplice in kidnapping case gets house arrest

A former Barnesville woman accused of helping kidnap, beat and shoot at a Union Township man as he cowered naked in a pond last year is on house arrest.

Jordan M. Stravinsky, 22, now living in Shenandoah, on May 23 was freed from jail on nominal $1 bail after being in jail without a trial for 180 days from the date the criminal complaint was filed by the district attorney’s office, according to state law.

At a hearing Friday before Schuylkill County Judge Jacqueline L. Russell, Stravinsky’s lawyer, Chief Public Defender Michael J. Stine, acknowledged his client failed to comply with the terms of her release, which included reporting to her probation officer, getting drug and alcohol treatment and urine screens, and other requirements.

On Oct. 12, the district attorney’s office moved to revoke Stravinsky’s bail.

Russell accepted an agreement between Stine and Deputy Assistant District Attorney Jennifer N. Foose that calls for Stravinsky to be on electronic monitoring instead of having her bail revoked and being sent back to jail.

Adult Probation Officer Michael Tomko asked Russell to include as a condition that Stravinsky be immediately returned to jail should she violate the terms of her house arrest.

Russell agreed.

Stravinsky has agreed to testify against her co-defendant, Jonathan T. Ford, whose trial is expected to begin Tuesday, Foose said.

A plea bargain for Stravinsky is pending completion of that trial, Stine said.

She is charged with conspiracy to commit murder of the first degree, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit kidnap to inflict injury/terror, conspiracy to commit terroristic threats, two counts of conspiracy to commit simple assault, conspiracy to commit recklessly endangering another person, conspiracy to commit robbery with threat of immediate serious injury, conspiracy to commit reckless burning or exploding places or property having value that exceeds $5,000 or an automobile, conspiracy to commit criminal mischief with intent to damage property, conspiracy to commit reckless or negligent propulsion of missiles onto roadways, and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

Stravinsky was living in Barnesville when she and Jonathan T. Ford kidnapped Shaun D. Briggs at gunpoint on Sept. 29, 2016.

At a Jan. 20 bail reduction hearing, Briggs, who suffered a fractured skull and broken bones, testified that Stravinsky “manipulated the whole situation,” egging Ford on to beat him before they forced him to strip to plunge into a pond, where Ford fired a gun at him.

At that hearing, State trooper Alan Zulick of the Frackville barracks testified that he “strongly objects” to any bail reduction, and that she presents a “clear and present danger” to Briggs and the public.

Stravinsky “actively participated” in each phase of the attack, he said.

He gave details of the case, including witness testimony that after shooting at Briggs in the pond, Ford and Stravinsky went to a friend’s house, where they burned Briggs’ bloody clothes, laughing and saying that if Briggs wasn’t dead, they would go back and kill him before heading to a strip club.

Briggs believes she held a gun on him at one point, he said.

He said Stravinsky was uncooperative, pretended to not be home when troopers arrived to arrest her and that she was confrontational with them.

“She showed no remorse for anything,” Zulick testified.