Baldwin Township cop charged with strangling woman
A Baldwin Township police officer has been arrested on charges that he held a woman against a wall by her throat after she refused to have sex with him.
The officer, Christopher Fry, 44, of South Fayette, was drinking with the woman at his Station Street home around 10:45 p.m. Sunday when he “requested sex from her and she refused,” according to a criminal complaint.
The woman told police that Fry grabbed her by the throat and forced her arms against a wall, the complaint said. The woman suffered “multiple deep bruises” and “broken blood vessels” on her neck and arms.
The woman said she broke free. She fled to a residence in Bethel Park, and Fry followed her, the complaint said.
Bethel Park police requested South Fayette police’s help for a “domestic incident” at about 4 a.m. Monday, and Fry was arrested.
Baldwin Township police Chief Terrence O’Brien confirmed Tuesday that Fry is a patrolman on his force and remains employed there.
A person who answered the phone at the municipal building refused to confirm whether Fry was still working with charges pending.
Fry was charged with a felony count of strangulation and one count each of simple assault and harassment, court records show. He was arraigned Monday.
Fry’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 29. Fry’s attorney was not listed Tuesday in the court record.
Justin Vellucci is a TribLive reporter covering crime and public safety in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. A longtime freelance journalist and former reporter for the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press, he worked as a general assignment reporter at the Trib from 2006 to 2009 and returned in 2022. He can be reached at jvellucci@triblive.com.
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