Javen Austin Meadows Indicted on Two Counts of Murder in Hillsboro South High Street Incident

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Hillsboro, Ohio — A 23-year-old Hillsboro man has been indicted by a Highland County grand jury on a seven-count indictment that includes two counts of murder in connection with a May 31, 2026, incident on South High Street.

Javen Austin Meadows faces two counts of murder, both unclassified felonies; one count of attempted murder, a first-degree felony; two counts of felonious assault, both second-degree felonies; one count of strangulation, a fourth-degree felony; and a forfeiture specification, according to the indictment returned July 7, 2026.

Court records describe the allegations as follows. On or about May 31, 2026, just after 2:30 a.m., Meadows allegedly drove a Ford F-150 into a business on South High Street in Hillsboro. He is accused of ramming another truck, parking, exiting the vehicle, grabbing a woman by the neck, and throwing her to the ground. As he drove away, he allegedly struck and fatally injured a 49-year-old man who was attempting to intervene.

The indictment further alleges one count of felonious assault involves knowingly causing or creating a substantial risk of physical harm to a second victim by means of strangulation or suffocation. A second felonious assault count accuses him of causing or attempting to cause physical harm to the second victim and a third victim by means of a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance, specifically the truck. A separate strangulation count is also included. The forfeiture specification applies to the truck Meadows allegedly used in the crimes.

Meadows was booked into the Highland County Jail on May 31, 2026, at 12:01 p.m. Jail records show he remains in custody as of July 8, 2026.

An indictment is a formal accusation returned by a grand jury. It is not evidence of guilt. Under Ohio law and the U.S. Constitution, every person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The case remains pending in Highland County Common Pleas Court.

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