Bensalem Man Arrested After 3rd Attack On Ex-Girlfriend: DA

FALLS TOWNSHIP, PA — A man out on bail in two domestic violence cases was arrested in Falls Township on Monday, after police say he attacked the same victim a third time — pushing her down concrete steps and choking her until she blacked out.

Patrick Dando, 35, of Bensalem, was arrested by Falls Township Police, U.S. Marshals and Bucks County detectives. According to the Bucks County District Attorney's office, Dando had been on the run since Friday afternoon, when the attack happened.

He is charged with felony counts of aggravated assault and strangulation, along with misdemeanor counts of simple assault, disorderly conduct, receiving stolen property, theft and harassment. He was sent to Bucks County Correctional Facility on $250,000 bail.

On Tuesday, prosecutors say they had argued for Dando to remain incarcerated after the last attack.

On Oct. 30, after Dando was charged in the second assault case, Assistant District Attorney Elliott R. Katz filed a motion to have his bail revoked. That motion was denied on Nov. 20. A similar motion was filed on Monday.

"We take our responsibility for public safety seriously," District Attorney Matt Weintraub said. "Our instincts were 100 percent accurate when we argued that Mr. Dando's bail must be revoked for his second domestic assault on this same victim. He stands accused of strangling and assaulting this same victim for a third time. Now, there is no doubt that the only way that we can keep the public safe from Mr. Dando is by keeping him in jail."

Dando was originally charged with attacking the women in her Falls Township apartment on Aug. 7, 2020. In that case, prosecutors say Dando grabbed her by the neck, threw her onto a bed and covered her mouth and nose to prevent her from screaming.

The woman suffered injuries to her neck, chin, cheeks and lips, prosecutors say. Dando was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Joseph P. Falcone, who set his bail at 10 percent of $40,000.

Dando posted bail the next day and, on Oct. 26, attacked the woman again after she told him she was ending their relationship, the DA's office says. They say he showed up at her a apartment and started an argument that became violent when he grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the ground.

He then prevented her from leaving the apartment and took her phone so she couldn't call for help, prosecutors say. She eventually escaped and called police after persuading Dando to let her take her dogs outside, they said.

In that case, Dando was charged with strangulation, false imprisonment, simple assault and harassment. Magisterial District Judge Jan Vislosky set his bail at $25,000 unsecured, which is when Katz filed the motion to dismiss his bail.

Then, on Friday, prosecutors say the woman was found injured in the laundry room of her apartment complex. A Falls Township Police officer found her limping up the stairs from the laundry room with cuts on both knees, elbows and feet, as well as her chest and face.

She also had bruises on her face and neck consistent with being strangled, the DA's office said.
The woman told police Dando let himself into her apartment and told her he wanted his dog back — even though he was not allowed to have contact with her as part of his bail agreement and an emergency protection order.

They started arguing and Dando backed the woman into a corner, prosecutors say, repeatedly refusing to leave the apartment when she asked him to do so.

The woman was able to run out of the apartment and scream for help. As she ran down steps toward the laundry room, Dando grabbed her and threw her down the concrete steps, prosecutors say. Once she was at the bottom, and as she continued screaming for help, Dando grabbed her throat and covered her mouth and nose until she blacked out, according to a police affidavit.

Prosecutors say the woman later found that Dando had taken her cellphone and a spare key fob to her car.