Convicted assailant sentenced
North Wales man jailed for assault, false imprisonment of woman during domestic incident
NORRISTOWN » Moments after he appeared to apologize to his victim and to express remorse for his conduct to a judge, a North Wales man convicted of assaulting a woman and locking her in a room of the house they once shared suggested he was the victim of false allegations.
“It’s a shame (the victim’s) lies are believed. Given the historical context, I don’t think false allegations could have come at a worse time,” David Shannon Haddaway said Friday as Montgomery County sheriff’s deputies escorted him along a courthouse hallway on his way to jail.
Earlier, as he awaited his fate from Judge Risa Vetri Ferman, Haddaway, during a courtroom speech, appeared to acknowledge the severity of his conduct. Ferman questioned if he was “genuine” and wondered if he was expressing remorse only because he was facing his sentencing judge.
“It’s clear to this court that you want to be a better man. I don’t think you know how to do that,” Ferman addressed Haddaway as she imposed his punishment, which also included a two-year period of probation for a total of four years of court supervision. “I do find that total confinement is necessary.”
Haddaway, 37, who at the time of the May 2017 incident
was living in the 200 block of Elm Court, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of simple assault and false imprisonment.
Sentencing recommendations could have allowed for probation, but Ferman said jail time was warranted because Haddaway presented an undue risk of committing another crime. Ferman added a lesser sentence would depreciate the serious nature of Haddaway’s
conduct.
Ferman said Haddaway is eligible for the jail’s work release program but only while wearing a GPS ankle bracelet. The judge said Haddaway also must wear the GPS monitoring device during the first six months after he’s released from jail and any time he travels for work.
Haddaway was ordered to stay away from the victim’s residence and workplace.
Ferman also ordered Haddaway to complete 150 hours of community service and said he will be under sex offender supervision and must participate in an outpatient sex offender therapy program during the probationary and parole periods. Haddaway also will be subject to random drug testing, the judge said.
Reading from a psychosexual evaluation and presentence investigation report, Ferman said Haddaway’s remarks to examiners presented a concern for retaliation and revenge. The reports were
peppered by statements by Haddaway claiming the victim lied and his expressing hatred for the victim, Ferman said.
“He feels that the rules do not apply to him. There are excuses and blaming for every action he has taken. A total lack of acceptance of responsibility is woven throughout this report,” Ferman said.
Haddaway, according to testimony, also claimed to have suicidal thoughts after his arrest and expressed a desire to fly an airplane over a football field, carrying a sign that said “She is lying,” and then crashing the plane. Haddaway also expressed his desire to bite off his tongue and choke on it, according to testimony.
Ferman ordered Haddaway to relinquish his pilot’s license and prohibited him from flying a plane during his court supervision. Haddaway also is prohibited from possessing firearms, the judge said.
The investigation began about 12:08 a.m. May
21, 2017, when the victim, “who was crying hysterically and was visibly shaken and scared,” reported to North Wales police that she was assaulted by Haddaway during an argument.
The woman reported that earlier in the night she had been arguing with Haddaway, who had been drinking, and that he came downstairs naked, grabbed her by the hair and pulled her off a couch and onto the floor, held her down and attempted to get her to perform a sex act, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by North Wales Police Officer Matthew Pokorny.
The woman screamed at Haddaway to get off of her, which he eventually did, and she retreated to a bedroom and texted a female friend to tell what had just happened. A short time later, Haddaway burst into the room, snatched the woman’s phone away and locked her in the bedroom, preventing her from calling for help, police alleged.