Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Ronald Davis Charged With Felony Strangulation

A Pennsylvania State Police Trooper is facing charges for multiple offenses, including strangulation and unlawful restraint.

The charges stem from an incident in which he purportedly served a female acquaintance with an Involuntary Mental Health Commitment. He claimed that she had informed him of her intention to harm herself.

According to the criminal complaint filed against him, Ronald Davis, a 37-year-old resident of Williamstown, is a member of Troop L in Jonestown. He has held the position of trooper since 2015.

According to the police, Davis is being accused of trying to persuade fellow troopers that the victim in the case had suicidal tendencies. The victim was taken to a hospital in Schuylkill County for assessment and detained for 72 hours before being discharged on August 25th.

The investigation into the incident concluded that the victim was not suicidal. It was discovered that she had been in a relationship with Davis, which had ended the weekend before he received the Involuntary Mental Health Commitment.

According to the investigation, Davis allegedly failed to mention the personal nature of his relationship with the victim when he informed the other troopers of his belief that she was going to harm herself.

According to the police, Davis received the Involuntary Mental Health Commitment after he visited the station and was instructed to reach out to Dauphin County Crisis Intervention.

Despite contacting them for personal reasons, Davis reportedly claimed to be a Trooper to the crisis team and utilized his work email to submit the form, as stated by the police.

After getting the nod, Davis allegedly enlisted the help of a civilian to help him search for the victim in Weiser State Forest, where he claimed she texted her saying she was “going to throw herself off a cliff.”

According to the police, when Davis discovered the victim, the civilian started recording the incident as requested by Davis. The recording supposedly captures Davis assaulting the woman while trying to hold her down.

Throughout the altercation, the woman can be heard expressing confusion about the reasons behind her restraint and repeatedly stating that she was having difficulty breathing.

According to the police, Davis is alleged to have been seen throwing the woman to the ground as she tried to escape.

According to the police, Davis did not mention or identify himself as a State Police trooper throughout the entire encounter.

After being dispatched to the scene, the recording shows that the woman is still confused while the troopers attempt to explain the mental health commitment process when the other troopers arrive.

“Why am I getting arrested for fighting with my boyfriend?” the woman asked in the recording, according to police.

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The troopers recorded numerous injuries they observed on the woman, which included multiple bruises and other injuries that were consistent with an assault.

Police said that the investigation also found that the text messages Davis displayed to the other Troopers while trying to obtain the Involuntary Mental Health Commitment were misconstrued to create the false impression that she had intentions of causing harm to herself.

During an interview with the police after being discharged from the hospital, the woman admitted that she had embellished certain statements in order to provoke a reaction from Davis, but she never indicated any intention to inflict harm upon herself.

The police concluded that the text messages exchanged between Davis and the victim were “related to a domestic dispute” and that the victim did not show any indications of self-harm.

Following the investigation, Davis was charged by the police with a felony count of strangulation, as well as misdemeanor counts of unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, simple assault, official oppression, and recklessly endangering another person.

According to court records, Davis is currently being held in Dauphin County Prison after his bail request was denied. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for October 2nd.