The mistress of a Pennsylvania police officer spent three days in a psychiatric hospital after he had her involuntarily committed when they broke up.
Ronald K. Davis, 37, now faces charges of abusing his power and authority to convince peers to conduct a mental health investigation and autopsy his girlfriend, Michelle Perfanov, in August.
Davis is married with children, according to police records, but was in a relationship with Perfanov, also 37.
They were together for months until the romance soured. He then told her he would make her “look crazy” – and he did.
Ronald K. Davis, 37, now faces charges of abusing his power and authority to convince peers to conduct a mental health investigation and autopsy his girlfriend, Michelle Perfanov, in August.
Pennsylvania State Police confirmed today that Davis has been suspended without pay.
He is also charged with strangulation and false imprisonment.
On August 21, Davis, who was off-duty at the time, and another officer tracked Perfanov to a wooded area where she attempted to escape him.
He claimed he tried to ‘help’ her but sat on her, fought with her and subdued her for more than twelve minutes. The disturbing incident was captured on video by Davis’ boyfriend, who had gone to help him arrest her.
Despite her protests, Perfanov was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill, where she was held for 72 hours.
Pennsylvania State Trooper Ronald Keith Davis was filmed arresting his mistress Michelle Perfanov on August 21
Michelle had to spend 72 hours at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill in Pennsylvania
Perfanov had been living in the officer’s trailer while they were having an affair, and he wanted her gone
After receiving a mental health petition through his work, Davis arrested Perfanov and had her involuntarily committed
Perfanov was taken to hospital and held for several days before being released.
Doctors discovered that she was not mentally unstable despite the officer’s claims, and that she had only threatened him with suicide to get attention.
Ronald Keith Davis, 37, is accused of strangling his girlfriend before committing her to a mental health facility under false pretenses
Now it’s Davis who faces charges including false imprisonment, strangulation, recklessly endangering another person and assault.
In text messages, he told her, “You’re done. F**k around and find out. Now get out of my house.”
She told him she was going to drive “off a cliff” but later told police she was not suicidal and only said it to “provoke an illicit reaction.”
Davis was off duty at the time of the arrest.
He had first gone to the station to receive the involuntary commitment request and then told his colleagues that he would take matters into his own hands if they could not find Perfanov.
“I’ll take care of it myself,” he said, before going off to look for her.
Assisted by a “civilian companion,” he then followed her to the Pennsylvania State Game Lands in Weiser State Forest and attempted to carry her to his car before she began fighting back.
Perfanov did not understand why she was arrested by her boyfriend, or why she was then taken to the hospital
Perfanov did not understand why she was arrested. She spent five days in the hospital because Davis was able to obtain a petition
A video released by the district attorney’s office shows her lying beneath him, covered in dirt and almost half his size, as she almost frees herself from his grasp before being thrown back to the ground.
She was taken to hospital and held for five days before being released on August 26.
That’s when she told police how their romance fell apart. She told Davis she wanted to move to a new city to start over, which infuriated him.
“Put into context, the texts revealed her frustration with Trooper Davis and his controlling behavior (and her desire to end the relationship), and not a genuine desire to harm herself,” the affidavit says.
The indictment accuses Davis of “knowingly impeding the breathing or circulation of another person by applying pressure to the throat or neck.”
It says he restrained her “under circumstances that exposed the said other person to the risk of serious bodily harm,” violating Section 2902(a)(1) of the Pennsylvania Crimes Code, which refers to “unlawful restraint. ‘
Davis was charged with strangulation, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and official oppression.
He was remanded without bail after an arraignment on September 21.