Officer Ronald Davis, 37, has been charged with felony strangulation, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, assault, and oppression after assaulting a former girlfriend and forcibly committing her to a local hospital. The Pennsylvania State Trooper has been suspended without pay and is being held without bail at Dauphin County Prison.
Davis has been accused of abusing his authority as a state trooper to have his ex-girlfriend, whose identity has not been released, committed to Lehigh Valley Hospital against her will and without cause. Davis obtained the order by claiming that she was a threat to herself, but did not divulge his connection to her.
After obtaining the warrant to have the woman committed, Davis volunteered to carry out the order himself to find and detain her, despite acting outside of his official capacity to do so. He found her at a picnic area, where he ordered a bystander to record his actions. Davis proceeded to carry the woman away from the picnic area, tackle her to the ground when she attempted to escape, and sit on her while holding her by the neck. The woman repeatedly said “I can’t breathe” while Davis kept her in a stranglehold until on-duty officers arrived to take her to Lehigh Valley Hospital. The woman was held at the hospital for four days before it was determined that she was of sound mind and not in danger.
Upon her release, the woman told police that Davis had been trying to manipulate and control her, saying things like “I know you’re not crazy, I’ll paint you as crazy.” The two had a four-month relationship, which began to fall apart in mid-August. The woman suffered injuries on her forehead, torso, arms, and legs as a result of Davis’ attack.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or is under threat of domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or go to www.thehotline.org/.
(featured image: screenshot/WGALTV/YouTube)
