Assistant chief in Allegheny County DA's office resigns amid criminal charges

An assistant chief in the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office who is facing criminal charges has resigned.

Richard McDonald, 56, of Oakdale, submitted his resignation within the last several days, his attorney, Robert Del Greco Jr., confirmed on Wednesday.

McDonald, who started with the DA’s office in May 2018, earned $125,723 annually.

A message left with the district attorney’s office was not immediately returned on Wednesday.

McDonald is charged with burglary, simple assault, harassment and recklessly endangering another person stemming from an incident on Nov. 12.

According to the criminal complaint, McDonald went to the home of a woman he previously dated in the city’s Oakwood neighborhood in the West End, walked in and assaulted the her and a man who was present.

The two told police that they were upstairs that afternoon when they heard a man’s voice downstairs. They went to the top of the stairwell and saw McDonald, who ran up the stairs, pushed the woman aside and punched the man, according to the complaint.

Then, the complaint said, McDonald dragged the woman down the steps by the hair, pulled a gun and pointed it at the man.

McDonald then left.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 18.

McDonald previously worked as a Pittsburgh police officer from 1989 through 2002, then served as a special agent with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office until 2006.

He was hired to be the police chief for Ellwood City in 2007, but was unable to be certified through the Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission because he was taking a pain medication prescribed after he was injured in a line-of-duty accident.

He then served in Ellwood City as public safety director for about 18 months.