Crime, Police/Fire

Middle River man convicted in violent assault of girlfriend in Joppa

JOPPA, MD—A Middle River man has been found guilty of assaulting his girlfriend in a violent incident that left her with serious injuries, including scratches, bruises, and a swollen lip, according to the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Timothy Frye Jr. was convicted of first- and second-degree Assault after a four-day trial before Judge Paul Ishak in Harford County Circuit Court. The jury reached their verdict on Wednesday, December 11, 2024.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred on November 14, 2023, at a residence on Plaza Circle in Joppa. Deputies responded to a 9-1-1 hang-up call at approximately 8:09 a.m., according to the State’s Attorney’s Office. Dispatchers were informed that the caller had called back to say there was no emergency, but during the second call, they could hear an infant crying in the background and the caller sounded out of breath.

Upon arriving at the residence, deputies found the victim holding her one-year-old daughter and crying. She had visible injuries, including scratches under her left eye, a swollen lip, bruising and scratches around her neck and left arm, and bruising on her left foot.



The victim told deputies that she had gotten into an argument with Frye, her boyfriend, over a miscommunication. The argument escalated into a violent physical assault where Frye allegedly grabbed her, threw her into a wall, tried to pull her teeth out, punched her in the face, stomped on her foot, and strangled her. The victim reported that Frye forced her to hang up on 9-1-1, threatening to kill her if she did not call back and falsely report that police were not needed.

Realizing police were coming, Frye fled the residence, abandoning the victim and their one-year-old daughter.

“As a long-time domestic violence prosecutor, these cases are always ones close to my heart,” said State’s Attorney Alison M. Healey in a statement following the conviction. “Every victim and child should feel safe in their own homes and not be subjected to violence and abuse at the hands of those who claim to love them.”

Frye is currently being held at the Harford County Detention Center awaiting sentencing scheduled for February 7, 2025. He is also on probation for a separate domestic second-degree assault case in Baltimore County.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels


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