DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — A Pennsylvania State Trooper faces multiple charges after being accused of trying to wrongfully serve a woman he knew with an Involuntary Mental Health Commitment, court documents show.
Ronald Davis, 37, of Williamstown, is accused of trying to convince fellow Troopers that the woman was threatening to harm herself, State Police in Lykens said.
In August, State Police said, 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.
State Police say they closed in on the woman’s location in Weiser State Forest when Davis said he found her after getting approval for the commitment form.
State Police say an eyewitness recording showed Davis assaulted the woman as he was trying to restrain her. A State Police report says the woman claimed that she couldn’t breathe numerous times while being restrained by Davis and that she was thrown to the ground when she tried to get away from Davis.
Davis, State Police said, did not ever state he was acting as a State Police Trooper or identify himself as one when restraining the woman. The woman did not understand why she was being arrested and appeared confused when Troopers were trying to tell her about the mental health commitment process, according to court records.
Troopers noted that the woman had multiple bruises all over her body that were consistent with an assault.
Text messages from the woman that Davis allegedly showed Troopers were taken out of context to make it seem like the woman wanted to harm herself, court documents state.
Davis faces a felony charge of strangulation and misdemeanor charges of unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, simple assault, official oppression, and recklessly endangering another person.
Davis is a member of Troop L in Jonestown and has been a member of the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) since 2015, court documents state.
Davis is currently locked up in Dauphin County Prison with his bail denied and awaits a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 2.
