The woman who was forcibly committed to a Pennsylvania mental hospital on false charges after being violently arrested by her married police ex-boyfriend sent text messages threatening to kill herself before an argument, a criminal complaint shows.
Michelle Perfanov, 37, sent a text message to Officer Ronald K. Davis on Aug. 21 saying she was going to “go out in style” if he didn’t let him take her things from her so she could get out of town.
“I think I’m going to drive off a cliff,” she wrote in one text, adding, “If this is where I’m supposed to die, then so be it.”
“My mental health doesn’t matter I’m a useless idiot and uneducated,” he said in another.
“I don’t even have a shirt, please help me [sic] they are hostages. Well, I’ll do it naked.
Davis, 37, a Pennsylvania state trooper stationed outside Harrisburg, used the message to obtain an Involuntary Mental Health Commitment for Perfanov.
When his fellow officer couldn’t locate her, he reportedly said “I’ll take care of it myself” and drove to a picnic area in the Greenland Tract State Forest where he found her.
Officer Ronald K. Davis was arrested Thursday and charged with false imprisonment and other charges
Davis violently restrained Perfanov without explaining what he was doing, as he struggled to breathe and free himself Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office
There, an off-duty Davis violently grappled with Perfanov in a scrum caught on camera, before he finally restrained him as he begged to be let go, repeatedly saying he couldn’t breathe, and insisting he had done nothing wrong.
“You’re crazy,” he was heard saying as he pinned her to the ground. “You’re really crazy… and then you paint me to look crazy.”
When police finally arrived on the scene Perfanov was formally arrested and taken to Lehigh Valley-Schuylkill Hospital where he remained until he was released on August 25 after he was deemed not to pose a threat to himself.
Davis slammed Perfanov to the ground during the fight. He held her for more than 10 minutes until police arrived at the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office
Despite the troubling nature of Perfanov’s text messages, prosecutors said Davis did not share their full context when seeking the voluntary commitment order.
“After reviewing the text messages, your partner was unable to identify any suicidal or homicidal threats or ideas,” the criminal complaint from the Dauphin County District Attorney against Davis read.
The complaint characterized the text as nothing more than the product of a “domestic argument.”
After his release, Perfanov told police their fight had started a few days earlier on August 19, after Davis locked him out of the trailer he lived in and prevented him from taking his belongings from the storage unit.
Prosecutors said it was clear Perfanov never intended to harm himself, and that Davis abused his authority Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office
She described a four-month relationship with Davis — who had married into a family — that had deteriorated because of “ideological opinions and role differences in the relationship,” according to the complaint, and also included threats from Davis to label her as mentally unwell.
“I know you’re not crazy, I’m going to paint you as crazy,” Perfanov said Davis told him, along with veiled threats like “I know the law.”
Prosecutors said the text messages that led to the supposed suicide threats were characteristic of Perfanov’s behavior Davis said he exhibited toward her, including disparaging remarks about his ability to get a job or leave town.
The suicide text was only sent “to prohibit a response or reaction from Davis,” the complaint states, adding that Perfanov said “she never intended to kill herself.”
At one point during their argument, Davis reportedly told Perfanov “you’re done. F**k around and find out.”
The police officer has been charged with felony strangulation, unlawful restraint, and false imprisonment, among other charges.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
