By Margaret Harding

Published: Wednesday, March 20, 2013, 9:36 p.m.
Updated: Thursday, March 21, 2013

Dormont police charged a Pittsburgh police officer with assaulting his girlfriend.

Officer Michael J. Flynn, 35, of Westwood has a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 11 on the simple assault charge. Flynn, who joined the force in 2007, declined to comment.

Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Diane Richard said Flynn was transferred to the department's warrant office on Monday. The department's Office of Municipal Investigations is reviewing the incident, she said.

Dormont police officers went to a home on Beacon Hill Avenue just after 5 p.m. Sunday at the urging of Zone 5 Cmdr. Timothy O'Connor, according to a criminal complaint. Jennifer McGurk told officers Flynn pushed past her into her home about 3 a.m, and became angry, pulling her off her bed and throwing a decorative stone. She could not be reached for comment.

McGurk told officers she did not want Flynn arrested, but the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office told the officers to proceed with the charges, the complaint said.

“Police protocol in domestic violence situations and our protocol as well is to make an arrest if an injury is witnessed or observed and a domestic partner is believed to be responsible for inflicting the injury,” said Mike Manko, spokesman for the DA's office.

Margaret Harding is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-380-8519 or mharding@tribweb.com.

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