CALIFORNIA, Md. — A reconciliation attempt between former partners ended in violence outside a Wawa gas station in St. Mary’s County, where a Lusby man is facing felony assault charges after allegedly striking and strangling a woman and destroying her cellphone in a public parking lot.
According to court records, the incident occurred on May 18, 2025, in the area of Poplar Ridge Road and Far Cry Road. Deputies responded to a report of a domestic assault and made contact with the victim, who identified the assailant as 38-year-old James Eugene Stratchko of Lusby. She told deputies she had met with Stratchko at the Wawa located at 23141 Three Notch Road in an effort to reconcile their relationship.
However, she said Stratchko arrived with what she described as a “crazy look” and a demeanor that alarmed her immediately. She stated that he entered her vehicle briefly, exited, and then returned moments later—at which point the situation escalated.
According to the woman’s account, Stratchko began yelling at her, then reached through the vehicle window and struck her in the face. She alleged that he tried to pull her from the vehicle and placed his hands around her neck, restricting her ability to breathe. She said she feared for her life and felt as if she might lose consciousness. After kicking him repeatedly in self-defense, he reportedly backed away.
As he withdrew, she said, he grabbed her Motorola smartphone—valued at approximately $1,200—from the center console and smashed it on the pavement before fleeing the scene.
Deputies reviewed surveillance footage from the Wawa, which corroborated her statement. The video showed Stratchko arriving in a silver Chevrolet Cruze and getting into the woman’s vehicle. Minutes later, he returned, blocked her car in, and reached into her vehicle. The footage then showed a visible struggle, with the woman kicking at him as he attempted to drag her from the passenger seat. He was then seen seizing her phone and slamming it to the ground.
Stratchko was later identified and charged with first-degree assault—a felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison—and second-degree assault, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years. He was also charged with malicious destruction of property valued over $1,000, a misdemeanor that carries up to three years of incarceration and a $2,500 fine.
An arrest warrant was issued on May 20 and served on May 22. Stratchko appeared before the court for multiple bail review hearings, with Judge Tina Jenkins presiding over the initial detention order. He remains held without bond pending trial.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 26, 2025, in St. Mary’s County District Court. The case is being prosecuted by the St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney’s Office.
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How dare he smirk in his mug shot! He tried to strangle her with is a huge red flag in domestic violence. Studies have shown repeatedly that if a partner attempts to strangle the other partner violence with rapidly escalate with murder of the partner. Some states have laws that specific make strangulation a felony. Maryland was slow to enact statutes for this. A Frederick County prosecutor said that attempted strangulation leads to a 750% increase of the chances of the partner being murdered. Strangulation attempts are now a felony level 1 as it should have been years ago.
You tell em!
Praying for you brother