State trooper faces charges of assaulting ex-girlfriend and improperly having her committed

A Pennsylvania state trooper was caught on camera appearing to physically assault his ex-girlfriend after allegedly abusing his power to have her involuntarily committed to a hospital.

Ronald Davis, 37, is accused of improperly obtaining a warrant to have the woman committed without divulging his connection to her, according to the criminal complaint and probable cause affidavit provided by the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office.

While carrying out the order himself, he then asked another person to film him as he appeared to strangle her and restrain her. During the 12-and-a-half-minute-long video, released by the DA’s office, she repeatedly says, “I can’t breathe.”

Davis, who has been a trooper since 2015, has since been suspended from his post without pay, in accordance with state law, and faces multiple charges, including felony strangulation, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and simple assault.

The woman wound up being held at Lehigh Valley Hospital for four days, until her release Aug. 25. “The video and text communications with Davis show that [the victim] was rational and the involuntary commitment was improper,” according to the news release from the DA’s office.

A judge ordered Davis be held without bail in Dauphin County Prison at his preliminary arraignment last week, according to the DA’s office. A preliminary hearing has been set for Oct. 2.

It was not immediately clear how much jail time Davis could face if convicted on the charges or whether he has a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. A spokesperson for the DA’s office could not immediately be reached.

Davis is married and lives with his family in Dauphin County, according to the DA’s office. He did not respond to emails seeking comment.

‘I’ll take care of it myself’

Davis allegedly told colleagues on Aug. 21 that the woman was living in a camper on his property and that “their relationship had deteriorated” and “had recently been acting erratically,” according to the probable cause affidavit. The two had a four-month relationship, the woman later told police.

Davis said they had been having an “ongoing domestic argument” over the past two days involving clothing that she had stored in his garage, according to the probable cause affidavit. He added that the woman was suicidal and claimed that she had texted him minutes earlier saying she was going to drive off a cliff.

Davis then asked his colleagues if they could have her involuntarily committed, according to the probable cause affidavit. A corporal at the station said it would be better if he contacted Dauphin County Crisis Intervention, a 24/7 program, to file a petition to have her involuntarily committed “to minimize conflict and liability.”

Davis initially said he did not want to do that, although it’s unclear from the affidavit why. Ultimately, he did contact the program by phone to file the petition on Aug. 21; he identified himself as a trooper despite the fact that “he was contacting them regarding a personal matter,” the probable cause affidavit states. He also emailed a synopsis of information related to the petition using his state email address and including his personal contact information, the document says.

While Davis was making the petition, state police unsuccessfully attempted to conduct a welfare check on the woman, searching for her in three different locations.

The warrant for the woman’s involuntary commitment was ultimately approved and issued; when it was, Davis took a copy of it from another trooper and said, “I’ll take care of it myself” — even after a supervisor said on-duty officers would handle the situation, the probable cause affidavit notes.

Davis left the station shortly after 1:15 p.m., and notified colleagues he found the woman in a picnic area about 15 minutes later.

When Davis arrived at the scene, the woman tried to avoid him; he grabbed her and “forcefully carried her from the picnic area to her vehicle,” the probable cause affidavit says. Davis directed another person — who is not employed by the state police and whose connection to Davis was not immediately clear — to film the encounter, the probable cause affidavit says.

In the video, Davis appears to sit on the woman in an effort to restrain her while she pleads to be let go, asks why she’s being restrained. When the woman tries to escape his control, he tackles her to the ground. At that point, about three and a half minutes into the video, he appears to restrain her by the neck.

“I don’t need help,” the woman says at the start of the video, while Davis is sitting on her and restraining her. “I need to get away from you.”

Davis never claimed he was acting in his official capacity as a trooper, the document states. Davis later told police that the woman knew he was a trooper.

A spokesperson for the state police said it was too early to determine whether a police supervisor or anyone else would face disciplinary action given that Davis ultimately proceeded to look for the woman himself.

Signs of a controlling relationship

Following her release from the hospital, the woman met with police and described ways Davis had allegedly sought to control her, including telling her, “I know you’re not crazy, I’ll paint you as crazy” and “I know the law,” the probable cause affidavit states.

She also said he had restricted access to her belongings and once called the state police station where he worked during an argument and hung up before the call answered “in an effort to control” the situation, the document states.

Text messages viewed by police showed Davis and the woman arguing in the days prior to the alleged incident, with Davis making “disparaging remarks” towards her, the probable cause affidavit says. Police ultimately concluded that there were no verifiable suicidal or homicidal threats.

The texts “revealed her frustration with Trooper Davis and his controlling behavior (and her desire to break off the relationship), not a true desire to harm herself,” according to the probable cause affidavit.

The woman “described a relationship where Davis needed to maintain power and control,” it states.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or the threat of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for help at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or go to www.thehotline.org for anonymous, confidential online chats, available in English and Spanish. Individual states often have their own domestic violence hotlines as well.

Advocates at the National Domestic Violence Hotline field calls from both survivors of domestic violence as well as individuals who are concerned that they may be abusive toward their partners.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.