Ronald Keith Davis (inset) in a mug shot and in video provided by the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office.
A 37-year-old Pennsylvania trooper who was recorded in August restraining and wrestling on the ground with his ex-girlfriend while claiming she was a danger to herself is now facing charges for having her involuntarily committed under false pretenses to a psychiatric facility for several days, according to the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office.
Ronald Keith Davis, who is married and has kids, stands accused of official oppression, felony strangulation, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person after he allegedly put his hands on his ex’s neck and impeded her breathing while he was off duty in a purported attempt to stop her from taking her own life on Aug. 21, a Monday.
The woman was identified in a probable cause affidavit as M.F., though the last name listed throughout the documents begins with a different letter (we will instead refer to her as M.P.). The DA’s office said that the victim, as a direct result of Davis’ actions, ended up involuntarily held at a mental health facility for five days.
Throughout the 12-minute video of the incident in question, you can see and hear the woman ask repeatedly “What did I do?” and state “I didn’t do anything wrong.” She also told Davis, “I don’t need help, I just need to get away from you.”
According to the probable cause affidavit in the case, Davis while off duty on Aug. 21 claimed the M.P. was suicidal and petitioned to have her involuntarily committed. Thereafter, Davis went to Weiser State Forest and tried to take her into custody on his own — even recruiting a private citizen to help him.
“I’ll take care of it myself,” Davis allegedly said, taking a copy of the petition with him.
“Without waiting for other troopers, he took a civilian acquaintance and used substantial force upon her,” the DA’s office said of Davis.
The defendant claimed M.P. had been living in a camper on his property and that she had made statements like “I think I’m going to drive off of a cliff” in the days prior to the incident.
Before reaching M.P. at her location, Davis allegedly asked Kerry Teter, a civilian, to record the encounter that you can watch in the video above. The suspect had claimed M.P. threatened to take her own life.
More Law&Crime coverage: Ex-trooper charged with murder after wife found naked in bathtub was previously accused of terrorizing her lover
Read Related Also: [Body Bags] Buried Truths: The Warlocks, a Cemetery, and a Case Unsolved
“He related that since this morning, [the victim] had been making comments through text message ‘that she has no reason to live she is a worthless piece of s—, and she is going to end it. She said that she is not going to be a slave and she’d rather be dead,” the affidavit said of Davis’ account.
But authorities allege that the trooper had texted M.P. two days earlier saying that he would frame her as “crazy.”
“I know you’re not crazy, I’ll paint you as crazy,” Davis allegedly said, according to the victim, as their four-month relationship fell apart. “I know the law.”
The woman told investigators that Davis also told her two days before, “You’re done. F— around and find out. Get out of my house now.” The defendant allegedly made remarks about drug testing and said M.P. was unemployable, the affidavit said.
“After receiving the text messages, your affiants were not able to identify any suicidal or homicidal threats or ideations,” the affidavit said of M.P.’s messages with Davis.
Later in the affidavit, investigators said they found Davis “failed to provide the full context of those text messages” with the victim.
“In fact, the text messages were the culmination of a larger, domestic dispute between he and the victim,” the affidavit said. “Taken in that context, 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.”
The omission of the true context, authorities said, was “critical in the securing of the Involuntary Mental Health Commitment.” Authorities also said Davis appeared to be jealous of a relationship M.P. previously had with another man.
Magisterial District Judge Rebecca Margerum, after reviewing the evidence at Davis’ arraignment on Sept. 21, had him involuntary committed to jail in Dauphin County without bail.
Davis was also suspended from his Pennsylvania State Police job, the DA said.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
