JONESTOWN, Pa. — A Pennsylvania State Police Trooper has been charged with multiple offenses, including strangulation and unlawful restraint, after he allegedly served a female acquaintance with an Involuntary Mental Health Commitment, claiming she had told him she was going to harm herself.
Ronald Davis, 37, of Williamstown, is a member of Troop L in Jonestown, according to the criminal complaint filed against him. He has been a trooper since 2015.
Davis has been suspended pending the outcome of the case against him, the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office said.
Davis is accused of attempting to convince fellow troopers that the victim in the case was suicidal, police said. The victim was transported to a hospital in Schuylkill County for evaluation and held for 72 hours before being released on Aug. 25.
The investigation of the incident determined that the victim was not suicidal, and that she and Davis had been in a relationship that had ended the weekend before he received the Involuntary Mental Health Commitment. Davis allegedly did not disclose the personal nature of his relationship with the victim when he told the other troopers he believed she was going to harm herself, the investigation claims.
According to police, Davis received the Involuntary Mental Health Commitment after he went to the station and was told to contact Dauphin County Crisis Intervention. Although he was contacting them for a personal reason, Davis allegedly told the crisis team he was a Trooper and used his work email to submit the form, police said.
After he received the commitment, Davis allegedly engaged the aid of a civilian to help him locate the victim in Weiser State Forest, where he claimed she said via text message that she was "going to throw herself off a cliff."
When Davis found the victim, the civilian began recording the encounter at Davis' request, police said. The recording allegedly shows Davis assaulting the woman as he attempted to restrain her. The woman is heard expressing confusion over why she was being restrained and stating that she couldn't breathe several times over the course of the confrontation.
Davis allegedly is seen throwing the woman to the ground when she attempted to escape, police said.
Over the course of the encounter, police said, Davis never stated that he was acting as a State Police trooper, nor did he ever identify himself as one.
When other troopers arrived after being dispatched to the scene, the recording shows that the woman is still confused while the troopers attempted to explain the mental health commitment process.
The woman is heard asking "why am I being arrested for having a fight with my boyfriend?" in the recording, according to police.
The troopers documented several injuries observed on the woman, including multiple bruises and other injuries consistent with an assault.
The investigation also determined that text messages Davis showed the other Troopers during his attempt to get the Involuntary Mental Health Commitment were taken out of context to make it seem like she wanted to harm herself, police said.
In an interview with police following her release from the hospital, the woman said she had exaggerated some statements in order to elicit a response from Davis, but at no point did she ever express a desire to harm herself.
Police determined the text message exchanges between Davis and the victim were "in the nature of a domestic dispute" and that the victim did not exhibit any signs of self-harm.
After the investigation, police charged Davis with a felony count of strangulation and misdemeanor counts of unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, simple assault, official oppression and recklessly endangering another person.
Davis is currently being held in Dauphin County Prison after his bail request was denied, according to court records. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 2.
