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A married trooper with the Pennsylvania State Police is facing false imprisonment charges after he used physical force to detain his ex-girlfriend and then committed her to a mental health treatment program under false allegations, according to prosecutors.

On Thursday, 37-year-old Ronald Davis was taken into custody. He is accused of abusing his authority by using physical force to unlawfully takedown his former girlfriend and place her against her will into a mental health facility for several days, the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office said.

The DA’s office released the following details in a press statement:

On September 21, 2023, the Pennsylvania State Police charged Ronald K. Davis with felony strangulation, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, and official oppression. The criminal complaint and affidavit are attached.

At the time of alleged offenses, Davis was an enlisted member of the PSP assigned to Troop L. He is married with a family in Dauphin County.

The complaint charges that Davis had an intimate relationship with the victim, M.F. He obtained a involuntary commitment for her under the Mental Health Procedures Act. Without waiting for other troopers, he took a civilian acquaintance and used substantial force upon her. The acquaintance captured the use of force on video. That video is incorporated into the probable cause affidavit. The video and text communications with Davis show that M.F. was rational and the involuntary commitment was improper. As a result of Davis’ actions, M.F. was involuntarily committed for five days.

Magisterial District Judge Rebecca Margerum conducted a preliminary arraignment on September 21, 2023. She reviewed the complaint, affidavit including the video, and heard from the defendant. After the arraignment, Judge Margerum determined that no condition or combination of conditions was sufficient to protect the public from Davis. Judge Margerum committed him to Dauphin County Prison without bail.

Pennsylvania State Police trooper allegedly detained his ex-girlfriend and had her committed to a mental health treatment program under false claims.Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Ronald Davis was arrested for detaining his ex-girlfriend and having her committed to a mental health treatment program under false claims. (Dauphin County District Attorney)

According to court documents released by the district attorney’s office, Davis reportedly told her, “I know you’re not crazy, I’ll paint you as crazy” leading up to the forced mental health treatment, the victim said.

Davis’s quest to have his ex-girlfriend committed for mental health treatment began Aug. 21 when he sought help from fellow troopers because he alleged the victim — identified by the district attorney as M.F. — had psyche problems, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

On advice from state police, Davis, off-duty at the time, contacted county officials by using his law enforcement email account and identified himself as a trooper. He took these steps to obtain an order of commitment after he submitted purported texts from M.F. in which she allegedly threatened suicide, according to the court docs, the New York Post reported.

Once Davis received approval for the order, he went after the woman, before uniformed troopers arrived, authorities said.

“I’ll take care of it myself,” he reportedly told them.

Davis and a civilian companion found the victim, whom he had dated for about four months, in a picnic area at a state forest where the use of force and struggle occurred, the affidavit states.

The off-duty trooper is seen sitting on top of his ex-girlfriend as she claimed he tackled her to the ground, according to the footage captured by the man with Davis and released by the DA’s office.