DAYTON, Ky. — A Dayton, Kentucky police officer accused of domestic violence was back in court Wednesday for a pre-trial hearing.
The Boone County Sheriff's Office charged 32-year-old Ryan J. Fern with strangulation, assault dating violence and criminal mischief after a woman said he grabbed her by the neck and on the throat during a fight.
In an interview with WCPO, the woman said she and Fern had been fighting about him being out with an ex one night in March. When he finally returned home, she said she arrived with his ex, re-igniting the fight.
"He was pretty much at our front door, I was a few feet behind him," she said. "And he turned around, he screamed something. Next thing I know, his hands are wrapped around my neck. I could feel the pressure of his hands on my neck. I had taken my fingernails and dug them into the upper part of his arm that I could grab to try to get him to release."
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Fern's bond was set at $50,000, of which he must pay 10%. Fern cannot have contact with the woman or her employer as part of his bond. He'll be on home incarceration and cannot leave for work.
He must also undergo mandatory substance abuse treatment. A military police officer with the Ohio Army National Guard, the Boone County prosecutor's office said arrangements are being made for treatment with the VA.
If he's not admitted to the VA or another qualified treatment facility by June 10, prosecutors will ask for the bond to be revoked.
Dayton police said Fern has been with the department since October 2022. He was suspended from the department without pay following his arrest.
