By Avice Meehan

The young Winchester resident accused of sexually assaulting a Norfolk woman in 2022 accepted a plea agreement and could be formally sentenced as early as Oct. 13 in Litchfield County Court in Torrington.

Jason Tyrone Heath, 21, entered a guilty plea on Aug. 4 to two felony charges, attempted sexual assault and strangulation. As part of the plea agreement, Heath would be sentenced to 20 years in prison with the sentence suspended after nine years. He would also be subject to probation for 15 years and required to register as a sex offender, according to the attorney who represented him.

“This is a serious crime and a serious sentence for a young man who has had a complicated life,” said Corrie-Ann Mainville, a public defender based in Torrington.

Heath has been held on $450,000 bail since his arrest on June 30, 2022. He is currently being held at the Manson Youth Institute in Cheshire, a high-security facility for male offenders 21 and younger.

The victim, a Norfolk woman out for an early evening walk, was found by state police walking in the vicinity of Parker Hill Road after a passing motorist reported seeing a person in medical distress. She told police that the assailant attacked her from behind and that she nearly lost consciousness during the attack.

Heath was arrested shortly after the incident, which occurred in the vicinity of Winchester Road, by officers of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and Connecticut State Police from Troop B. According to multiple news reports, Heath gave police a detailed account of his actions.